The Rugby Football Union has officially suspended all its events in England until April 14 amidst coronavirus pandemic fears.

Recently, the Premiership was suspended for five weeks. Soon after, the RFU implemented emergency precautions after the government instructed them to do so. In the Rugby Committee meeting, the decision has been taken.

The RFU said that its temporarily shutting down all its activities, including training, tournaments, and league matches, as well as rugby education courses. The advice included contact with others and "non-essential" travel.

The European Champions Cup and Challenge Cup quarter-finals are also postponed. They were originally scheduled for April 3, 4 and 5. Last week, the Pro14 and Top 14 leagues were also suspended for an indefinite period.

The RFU said in its statement, "The decision has been taken in the interests of players, coaches, referees, volunteers, supporters, and the wider rugby union community. Where possible, players at all levels are encouraged to maintain their own personal fitness and keep active during this time, while following government guidelines about safe distance and safe exercise environments."

The period of inactivity in the top flight of the English game takes in four scheduled rounds of matches, with the weekend of April 24-26 currently identified for the resumption.

As of now, nine more rounds of Premiership matches are remaining before the semi-finals and final, due in June.

Right now, Exeter is the leader with a five-point lead on top of the table at the end of 13 rounds of fixtures.

The organisation has expressed apologies to their fans about postponing the season for the next five weeks. The safety of the fans and staff is their priority, hence this decision. They are working closely with the DCMS and Public Health England, and are following the advice of medical experts.

RFU's statement also read that they are working with the involved clubs to support their respective wider communities under the current circumstances.

A man wears a facemask
A man wearing a facemask as a preventative measure following a coronavirus outbreak which began in the Chinese city of Wuhan sits at a Hong Kong cruise terminal in February 2020. Photo: AFP / Philip FONG

On Friday, the Premiership Cup final between Sale and Harlequins, which was originally scheduled for Sunday, was postponed. This happened because one of the Harlequins' staff members reported showing flu-like symptoms. This will now mean that no English top-flight fixtures are to be played over the weekend.