One of the country's biggest music stores, Better Music in Phillip, has been told staff can't go in even to receive instruments already paid for and in transit from abroad. This expensive stock may just be sent back to European and Asian suppliers.

The shop also can't service online orders, while competitors in Sydney and Melbourne can - so the competitors are getting the trade, owner Greg Soulsby said.

"It's pretty devastating," Mr Soulsby told The Canberra Times. "Our business is being crippled."

He said he understood the need for tough regulations, and he recognised that the rules meant his shop couldn't open to the public. However he said he'd be happy "to just go back and trade online".

When Mr Soulsby started the business at the age of 20, he had just one employee. Now he has 60.

"We are still looking after them, but they are sitting at home," he said.

Fyshwick Business Association president Rob Evans says there is anger among the business community that some contactless businesses have been banned.

"How is it safer for people to shop in person at, say, a liquor store, which is deemed essential, than any other 'non-essential' business that is willing and able to provide contactless trade for customers?" he asked.

For example, Rowena and Brett Hand have a drive-through coffee shop in Hume. They have been ordered to close.

"We have an EFTPOS machine which is on an extended handle - that's contactless," Mrs Hand said.

She said she couldn't understand why McDonald's drive-throughs were allowed, but her business, which normally gets 200 customers a day, was ordered to shut.

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The couple are also angry that they are not eligible for the ACT government's emergency support, because technically they do not employ anyone - they are both directors of their own family firm. If one of them were an employee instead, they would be entitled to $10,000.

The ACT government says that "where the director or shareholder is the only employee, the business will not be considered an employing business".

Thursday is the opening day for claims to be made under the scheme.

The opposition Liberals in the Legislative Assembly have called for support to be made available more quickly. However Chief Minister Andrew Barr defended the time taken, saying it was important to prevent abuses.

"We obviously need to put in place a range of measures to protect against fraud. The government's intent is that the money goes to the businesses in need, not to scammers," Mr Barr said.

He's now been written to by Zed Seselja, a senator for the ACT and a federal minister.

"Many business owners I have spoken to say that they can understand why the first few days of the lockdown applied very strict rules," Senator Seselja said.

But they couldn't understand why the strict measures had been "stretched", he said, "causing both severe economic hardship and mental anguish as they don't know when it will end".

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