Barnsley players stay away as Oakwell has full clean

The Championship club have issued an update to supporters following the EFL’s decision to postpone football matches until April 3 at the earliest due to the Coronavirus crisis and Murphy has stressed that the club will continue to be proactive in measures to combat the outbreak.

Meanwhile, fans have been told to stay away from Oakwell and the adjacent academy site.

He said: “In alignment with EFL guidance, we are applying this footballing ban to all activities at Oakwell, meaning that both our Academy and Reds in the Community programmes will be affected until April 3.

“Due to the current circumstances, we kindly ask supporters to refrain from attempting to access Oakwell and the Academy to help prevent any potential spreading.

“In addition, professional footballers will not be on site for the next week, allowing for a club-wide anti-bacterial clean to take place.”

“The Reds Superstore and main reception will remain open and functional until further notice.”

Meanwhile, Murphy admits that what will happen regarding suspended matches remains unclear, with Barnsley’s game against QPR at Loftus Road and home matches with Millwall and Blackburn Rovers having to be rearranged.

The EFL board will be holding a meeting next week to discuss further updates.

Murphy added: “Regarding football fixtures and the fulfilment of our games, we remain in constant dialogue with the relevant governing bodies.

“I understand that this has been a difficult decision to make, however, the health and wellbeing of supporters, staff and players is paramount in tackling this outbreak.

“As a club, we have been pro-active since first being made aware of the hazards coupled with Coronavirus.

“Both players and staff have been given professional advice and we will continue to follow Government protocol.

“We are yet to understand the future of the suspended games. (As it stands), the first team will return to Sky Bet Championship action at Stoke City on Saturday, April 4.

“However, I must stress that with the fluid nature of this pandemic and potential developments with stakeholders, this could change.”