The English Premier League has banned players and match officials from shaking hands until further notice in measures aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus.

Teams and officials will still participate in the pre-match walk-outs but have been told to temporarily abandon the tradition of shaking hands.

The Premier League adopted the measures based on medical advice following the escalation of coronavirus infections in England.

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 a 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 20 Premier League clubs have already been informed of the latest contingency plans to deal with the spread of coronavirus.

The Premier League say its officials are in daily communication with the government’s public health experts to provide the latest advice on how best to counteract the spread of the virus.

Fixtures lists and kick-off times remain unaffected as it stands and there are currently no plans to stop fans from attending matches.