Australia's deputy chief medical officer Paul Kelly also says the NRL needs to ensure they have adequate safety measures in place for any their support staff who are potentially vulnerable to the coronavirus.

Kelly said South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett, who is 70, and Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart, 53, were possible examples.

He backed the NRL for planning for the road ahead and encouraged other sports to do the same while the COVID-19 pandemic was ongoing.

But he said they still had their role to play in regards to social distancing, as well as setting an example, and would still need to get the all clear from federal and state governments.

Kelly said 400 people could become infected within a month if just one person with the virus failed to adhere to social distancing measures.

It's why those draconian measures were introduced so quickly in the first place.

The NRL have proposed May 28 - in seven weeks' time - as when they want to resume the competition, which was forced to shutdown after just two rounds.

They're hoping for every team to play each other once before beginning a full finals series, with a three-game State of Origin series as well.

"Look, they're making their plans for the road out and I encourage them to do so in other sports," Kelly said.

"But whether May is the time will remain to be seen and definitely they'll need to get some permission to do that."

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Kelly said while the men and women who played rugby league professionally were generally fit and healthy, and might not be at risk themselves, that didn't mean everyone involved in the NRL was in the same boat.

He said the coaches and support staff around the players also had to be taken into account when any decision about the resumption of the competition was made.

"They're generally very fit young men and women, so they themselves are not at high risk and if they were just part of the proposal to play in empty stadia - so they could be their own little microcosm - for them, it may not be a big problem," Kelly said.

"But there are other people around the teams, Wayne Bennett is in his 70s, he would be in a vulnerable group, Ricky Stuart with the mighty Raiders, he would potentially be in a vulnerable group - although he's a bit younger - so thinking about the team, not just the players, but those that are the support around them, is important."