Jeff Shi urges supporters to not 'underestimate' threat of coronavirus

As the concerns over coronavirus continue to grow across the globe, Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. chairman Jeff Shi urged supporters not to 'underestimate the threat of this virus'.

"I appeal to our supporters to follow our lead, and to stay as safe as possible during what will no doubt be a very testing time. Please don't underestimate the threat of this virus, to you or those around you, and employ best practice to limit the spread, including good hygiene and proper social distancing, which are both key," the club's official website quoted Shi as saying.

The virus has taken a huge toll on sports all over the world and football is not an exception. The Premier League on Friday postponed all the fixtures till April 4 due to coronavirus outbreak.

"Following a meeting of shareholders today, it was unanimously decided to suspend the Premier League with the intention of returning on 4 April, subject to medical advice and conditions at the time," Premier League said in a statement.

Shi said they have a responsibility to protect every employee and asked their staff to work from home over the forthcoming days and weeks.

"At Wolves we have a responsibility to protect not only our players, but also every employee at the club, which is why we have taken the further step of asking all of our staff to work from home over the forthcoming days and weeks. From my knowledge and understanding of the virus, social distancing is crucial to the fight against it, so this is a necessary course of action and a sacrifice we all have to make," he said.

The virus, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December, last year, has spread to more than 100 countries, infecting over 1,20,000 people.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic.