Mansfield Town games continue as normal for now after EFL attend latest coronavirus crisis meeting

The UK remains in the 'containment' stage of its response to the virus, but it seems clear that if the outbreak worsens then mass gatherings could be banned as they have been abroad.

Premier League executive director Bill Bush did not wish to comment on the possibility of matches being played behind closed doors when he came out of the meeting in London.

But the DCMS later said the meeting included discussions of how staging sporting events behind closed doors 'could work in practice' if the situation changed and that became necessary.

Last week, the Premier League and EFL said pre-match handshakes between both teams and officials will not take place until further notice and some clubs have also instructed players not to sign autographs or take selfies with fans.

“Based upon the current scientific advice from the Government's medical experts there is no rationale to close or cancel sporting events as things stand,” the DCMS stated.

“We will remain in regular dialogue with sports governing bodies and broadcasters, ensuring they are in receipt of the most up to date guidance from the health authorities.”

Some leagues said they are desperate to complete their seasons to preserve the integrity of their competition.

Others expressed fears at the financial impact that losing matchday revenue would involve with insurance policies coming nowhere near to covering the impact of that.

There is a concern among public health experts that closing stadiums could see fans gather in pubs to watch sport, and the virus spread that way instead.

Broadcasters have been asked to work out the financial cost to them if they were asked to block feeds to pubs, and the idea of asking satellite broadcasters to make coverage free-to-air so people could watch at home was also raised.

The FA has already said it would be willing to waive the traditional 'TV blackout' for matches kicking off at 3pm on Saturdays if fans were locked out.