Hatters take measures to try and minimise Coronavirus threat

Luton Town have confirmed that a number of measures are being put in place at the club to try and help minimise the spread of Coronavirus.

Kenilworth Road is currently open for business as usual meaning the match against Preston North End on Saturday is going ahead as planned at the moment, although the Hatters revealed they have undertaken a deep cleaning process at the main areas of Kenilworth and in full at The Brache (training ground).

Town have also imposed strict controls on visitors entering The Brache at all times and Kenilworth Road on non-match days, as a club statement said: "Until further notice, only players, coaches and authorised club staff will be permitted on site at The Brache as the club seeks to mitigate any risk of the COVID-19 virus affecting the group and spreading locally.

"Players and coaching staff are also being requested to practice a state of semi-isolation for the time being.

"This will impact media, commercial and community activities for the current period, with critical external visitors only permitted upon satisfactory completion of a medical questionnaire.

"Regrettably, public player appearances will also be forbidden until further notice."

Should the game with Preston take place on Saturday, then supporters have been asked not to approach the players for autographs, with mascot visits to the changing room cancelled as well.

The statement continued: "We have always treated our community commitments with the highest priority, but importantly for now, we feel it necessary to temporarily withdraw players from public appearances.

"We therefore ask all supporters not to approach any of our players or staff for autographs and selfies.

"Visits to the dressing rooms and manager’s office for hospitality guests and mascots, as well as the player appearances in hospitality areas and the Hatters Hideout, will also not take place until further notice.

"While we appreciate this may cause some inconvenience but the continued health of supporters, staff and players at Luton Town, and of visiting teams, is of paramount importance, and we ask for your understanding around this issue.

"Should they be necessary, further updates will follow ahead of Saturday’s home match with Preston North End, at which the EFL instruction to avoid the usual pre-match Fair Play handshakes will continue to be in place."

Finally, Luton have appealed to fans for their help in trying to limit the spread of the Coronavirus, as the statement added: "We ask all supporters planning to attend the match to do so only if they feel in good health.

"If you are experiencing symptoms (which include a cough, a high temperature or shortness of breath) or have been to any high-risk areas, the Government advice is to call NHS 111, stay indoors and avoid contact with other people immediately.

"Anyone with flu-like symptoms should avoid the risk of spreading their infection by staying at home and recovering.

"We request that all supporters who do attend, upon arrival at the ground, please ensure they wash their hands in any of the public toilets, which have all had extra soap and hand sanitisers installed.

Please also respect that these products are for collective use and should not be taken for personal use, as experienced at the last home match against Stoke – your exposure to the virus could potentially increase if the supporter sitting next to you isn’t able to use soap or a sanitiser."