COLCHESTER United say they have no plans in place to postpone this weekend's home clash with Scunthorpe United or play it behind closed doors in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

But the U's have stressed that they will continue to stringently follow the advice 'being given to clubs by the EFL and Governmental bodies' and are monitoring the 'ever-changing landscape', regarding the COVID-19 issue.

There has been widespread disruption in Europe because of the spread of coronavirus, with sport heavily affected.

The EFL is currently continuing as normal, based on the latest government advice.

And while they are taking the situation seriously, the U's are also following the official guidance provided ahead of their League Two clash with Scunthorpe at the JobServe Community Stadium.

In a statement, the U's said: "Colchester United, as a Football Club with close ties to the local community, has already put procedures in place to try and contain and minimise the effect COVID-19 can have.

"Guidelines that have come from the Government, Public Health England and the EFL have been relayed to staff across the stadium, Shrub End and Florence Park concerning cleaning, washing and general hygiene practices.

"At this moment in time, we will be hosting Scunthorpe United on Saturday and Crewe Alexandra on Tuesday at the JobServe Community Stadium.

"There are no plans in place to postpone these fixtures nor play them behind closed doors.

"We will continue to monitor the ever changing landscape surrounding this issue, particularly around large scale public gatherings such as football matches and events, and will also continue to follow the advice being given to clubs by the EFL and Governmental bodies."

The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) has issued guidance to its members and to clubs about measures they can take to help limit the spread of coronavirus.

The wide-ranging guidance covers personal hygiene and what players should do in the event that they or those close to them begin to display flu-like symptoms.

Clubs are advised to provide automatic dispensers for disinfectant in changing rooms and toilets, and to keep communal areas clean using disinfectant.

It is also suggested that the number of people accessing changing rooms and fields of play are kept to a minimum.

The PFA's deputy chief executive Bobby Barnes said: "Players will and should be taking medical advice from the appropriate medical staff at their individual clubs together with their respective government's national advice at this time.

"It is important to stress that this is a public health issue, not just for football, but the wider community - that should be on the forefront of everybody's minds when making decisions."

World players' union FIFPRO has called on competition organisers across the globe to take "transparent, reasonable and consistent" decisions based on government advice in relation to the outbreak.

"Professional footballers, like other workers, are concerned about themselves and their families and friends being exposed to the coronavirus during their daily lives," the statement read.

"For players, their exposure could come during travel, training and match days.

"Any actions relating to these activities must be co-ordinated in close co-operation with players and their unions.

"We ask that employers and competition organisers respect the wishes of players to take short-term precautionary measures including suspending training or competitions.

"We support the players and their associations who have requested a suspension or postponement of football activities in their countries or regions."

FIFPRO also called on the football industry to consider "extraordinary solidarity payments" for clubs impacted by postponements or matches being played behind closed doors.

Gary Neville, co-owner of League Two club Salford, said on Tuesday that the EFL season should be delayed rather than matches continuing behind closed doors "to protect the revenues for clubs that require this income to survive".