The federal government's three-step framework for sport in a COVID-19 world gives initial preference to outdoor sport.

The first step states "no indoor physical activity including gyms", while allowing outdoor sport for up to 10 people "consistent with the AIS Framework for Rebooting Sport".

The second step states that up to 20 people will be allowed to participate in outdoor sports and indoor sports, including gyms.

The third step allows all venues to operate "with gatherings of up to 100 people".

Venues would need to maintain an "average density of four square metres per person".

Prime Minister Scott Morrison hopes to move through these steps by July.

However, state governments will determine progression through these phases, taking account of "local epidemiology, risk mitigation strategies and public health capability".

Since last Friday, the NSW government has allowed up to 10 people to exercise outdoors while maintaining social distancing.

But outdoor sports haven't officially resumed training yet. Councils have been reluctant to reopen sporting facilities for public use until the NSW Office of Sport releases its guidelines for sport's return.

The Office of Sport is thought to be finalising its guidelines, amid caution and concern about the possibility of a winter coronavirus outbreak.

Discussions around the return of sport include questions about whether junior sport will return before senior sport and outdoor sport ahead of indoor sport.

The AIS framework said there was no good data on the risks of indoor sporting activity, but "the risk is assumed to be greater than for outdoor sporting activity, even with similar mitigation steps taken".

"Significantly enhanced risk mitigation (including avoidance and physical distancing) must be applied to all indoor activities associated with outdoor sporting codes (club rooms, training facilities, gyms and the like)."

Basketball Australia released its Return to Basketball Guidelines on Wednesday to help enable "a safe return to grassroots basketball".

Basketball Australia said it worked with state associations on the guidelines, which were in line with the AIS framework.

"Stadiums are large open spaces with ventilation systems to facilitate air movement. In many facilities the flow of outdoor air is very open," the guidelines state.

Basketball Australia chief executive Jerril Rechter said the guidelines were developed to "return to basketball while controlling the number of people in stadiums and competition contact risk".

"While the guidelines permit limited numbers of people to be within a stadium, Basketball Australia encourages members to minimise attendance of non-participating persons where possible," she said.

"In the various stages of return, the number of people in stadiums and the flow of people in and out of stadiums needs to be monitored and controlled, and heightened cleaning and sanitation regimes need to be followed."

Newcastle Basketball Stadium closed its doors and the association ceased all competitions on March 16.

General manager Neil Goffet is expecting an update from Basketball NSW on Thursday night, but said a start date for the resumption of training and community competitions would be controlled by the NSW government.

Newcastle Basketball operates six courts at Broadmeadow and has 3500 registered members.