All sporting events in Italy -- including Serie A football matches -- will take place without fans present for at least the next month due to the coronavirus outbreak in the country, the Italian government announced Wednesday, ESPN reports.
That will likely see games played in the Italian football league this weekend after the calendar was pushed back a week. Italy is the epicenter of Europe's coronavirus outbreak as more than 100 people have died and more than 3,000 have been infected with COVID-19.
The Italian government issued a new decree on Wednesday evening, with measures it hopes will help contain the spread of the virus. All sporting events throughout the country must take place behind closed doors until April 3.
Schools and universities have been ordered to close until March 15.
Premier Giuseppe Conte also posted a five-minute video on his Facebook page, reassuring people and saying that the decree was a way of assuring "responsible behavior."
He said banning crowds at sporting events would help "prevent further opportunities of infection."
Key games during the period includes Juventus' Champions League game against Lyon.
