EFL follows suit and ask all 71 clubs to dispense with pre-match handshakes
Wednesday 11 March 2020 18:15, UK
The Premier League has banned players and match officials from shaking hands from this weekend until further notice on medical advice.
Teams and officials will still participate in the pre-match walk-outs but have been advised against the tradition of shaking hands.
A statement from the Premier League said: "The Premier League fair-play handshake will not take place between players and match officials from this weekend until further notice based on medical advice.
"Coronavirus is spread via droplets from nose and mouth and can be transmitted onto the hands and passed on via handshake.
"Club and match officials will still perform the rest of the traditional walk-out protocol ahead of each fixture.
"On entering the field of play, the two teams will continue to line up, accompanied by the Premier League music, then players from the home team will walk past their opposition without shaking their hands."
The EFL has followed the Premier League's lead and will urge all 71 clubs to dispense with pre-match handshakes, beginning with Friday's Championship match between Nottingham Forest and Millwall, live on Sky Sports.
The Premier League has already written to its 20 clubs, advising on the latest contingency plans to deal with the spread of coronavirus.
League officials are liaising daily with the government's public health experts to provide up-to-the-minute advice on how best to counteract the spread of the virus.
Fixture lists and kick-off times remain unaffected as it stands.
