The South West Peninsula League, one of the highest standards of football in Cornwall, has followed government advice and is prohibiting the pre-match ritual at fixtures this weekend.
In a statement it said: “On the subject of stopping handshakes at the weekend. – yes, advice already has been sent to clubs and referees to do away with it.”
The advice has been followed across the country. A statement from the Premier League and the English Football League (EFL) has announced that players and officials will not shake hands prior to fixtures this weekend.
They said: “Whilst the Government guidance does remain unchanged, a decision has been taken on medical advice and as a precautionary measure.
“Matchday operations at EFL grounds are set to continue this weekend with clubs being advised to take appropriate prevention measures as per the government guidance.”
Instead the home team will just walk past the away side without shaking hands.
Over 90,000 cases of Coronavirus have been confirmed worldwide and there has been 2 deaths due to the disease in the UK.