Coronavirus disrupts Serie A matches as government bans sporting activities

At least, four Italian Serie A matches were postponed on Sunday as a result of the deadly coronavirus outbreak in Italy.

The Italian government, as a result, ordered a ban on all sporting events in Lombardy and Veneto — the regions in the heart of the outbreak — and later Turin.

According to The Japan News, vast numbers of tickets were refunded to fans who had to miss the matches due to health concerns on the part of the government.

The games between Inter Milan and Sampdoria, Atalanta and Sassuolo as well as Hellas Verona and Cagliari were called off as ordered by the government.

According to the Washington Post, Italy has recorded more than 200 confirmed cases as of Monday and four deaths as a result of COVID-19.

Italian Olympic Committee president, Giovanni Malago, claims that holding soccer games behind closed doors without fans in attendance is a problematic solution.

Malago noted Italian fans’ tendency to go stand outside stadiums where matches are played behind closed doors and cheer on their team from the parking lot.

“It’s going to cause a public safety issue,” Malago told Sky Italia. “That’s particularly problematic at this moment when police are busy with other situations and won’t be able to stand outside a soccer stadium.

“It’s a matter of public health,” Malago added.

Italian authorities announced that they are shutting down Venice’s famed carnival events in a bid to stop the spread of the virus, as numbers of infected persons in the country have soared to at least 152 — the largest number of cases outside Asia.Speech