Bundesliga halts play until April 2 due to coronavirus outbreak

The last European top league still operating has finally suspended play, with the Bundesliga confirming Friday that matches in the top two tiers of German football are postponed until April 2 due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The German football league (DFL) had announced earlier in the day that matches were proceeding without fans in attendance, and that an extraordinary meeting would be held next week to decide on halting the campaign.

Hours later, the decision was made to cancel matches completely.

"The current 2019-20 season must, as planned, be played until summer 2020 in order to determine which teams will be promoted and which will be relegated, as well as to decide on the participants for international competitions," the DFL had said prior to the decision to cancel.

"In spite of the difficult circumstances, this is the only way for clubs and DFL to plan reliably for the coming season - for example also with regard to players' contracts that apply to one league only."

Germany is among the European countries most severely affected by the pandemic, with 3,059 documented coronavirus cases and six deaths.

The Premier League and Ligue 1 postponed their respective seasons earlier Friday, while UEFA suspended play in both the Champions League and Europa League. Italy and Spain, the nations trying to combat the two largest coronavirus outbreaks on the continent, have already halted their football calendars.