The final memorial service to honour the victims of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster has been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, Liverpool Football Club have confirmed.
Ninety-six Liverpool supporters were crushed to death on the standing terraces at Hillsborough in Sheffield on April 15, 1989 as Liverpool played an FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest.
It remains Britain's worst sporting tragedy.
"The Hillsborough memorial service planned to take place at Anfield on Wednesday April 15, 2020 to mark the 31st anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster has been postponed," the club said on its website.
Margaret Aspinall, who chairs the Hillsborough Family Support Group, said she hoped people would say a prayer for the families and the victims.
"In light of recent events, a decision was made collectively by the families to postpone our final memorial service at Anfield," she said.
"We wish to keep as many people safe as possible and we believe this is the right approach."
The Hillsborough memorial service planned to take place at Anfield on Wednesday 15th April, 2020 to mark the 31st anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster has been postponed.https://t.co/Q0Cn8qiKOi
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) March 17, 2020
She said the plan was to hold the event at a later date.
More than 1,500 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Britain and more than 50 people have died. But health officials said last week the number of infections could be as high as 10,000.
