There were no handshakes at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.

The EFL has instructed clubs not to take part in the traditional Fair Play handshake between players and officials because of ‘ongoing concerns posed by the Coronavirus outbreak and following specific medical advice’.

This precautionary measure will remain in place until further notice.

Matches in Italy have been played behind closed doors recently and the Premier League may follow suit.

Gillingham’s match at Sunderland went ahead on Saturday with a crowd of almost 30,000 in attendance and so far the government have taken no steps to halt any major sporting events, however this may well change.

A statement from the Football League before the weekend said: “The EFL continues to remain in regular dialogue with the government regarding the ongoing developments and is being appraised on a regular basis of developments that could potentially impact our clubs and competitions.

“We will continue to provide EFL clubs with updates and advice as it is issued to ensure that they have all the relevant up-to date information so that they can continue to advise their players, staff and supporters.”

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