Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has announced that all sporting competition in Italy, including Serie A, has been suspended.
It comes as the coronavirus crisis in the country continues to worsen, with BBC News noting that over 400 people have now died.
The total number of reported cases has risen to over 9,000 as Italy is the worst hit of the European countries after the initial outbreak in China.
Various games at the weekend were played behind closed doors after initial postponements, while the Lombardy region which was worst affected initially was on lockdown.
However, Football Italia now report that all sporting competition has been suspended until April 3, and that includes Serie A, as the government and health authorities try to contain the outbreak and get it under control by imposing a ban on public gatherings in the entire country.
It’s hoped that it does now have the desired effect, but the situation is already looking dire as other countries look on and try their best to do what they can to avoid a similar acceleration of the virus.