French sports minister Roxana Maracineanu announced Monday that all Ligue 1 matches through April 15 will be played in front of a maximum of 1,000 spectators due to the coronavirus threat.
"Clubs can either make the decision to sell up to 1,000 tickets, they can opt to play behind closed doors, or they can postpone the fixture if possible," Maracineanu said.
The decision comes hours after Paris police confirmed that Wednesday's Champions League last-16 clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund will be played behind closed doors at the Parc des Princes.
Saturday's scheduled Ligue 1 meeting between Strasbourg and PSG in the Alsace region was the first French football match to be postponed amid coronavirus fears, as the country's health minister declared a cap of 5,000 people for public gatherings.
After Monday's announcement, Lyon said their match on Friday against Reims will be played behind closed doors, making it the first Ligue 1 fixture to be contested in an empty stadium due to the current crisis.
A Six Nations rugby tilt between France and Ireland, which was scheduled for March 14 at the Stade de France just north of Paris, has also been postponed, becoming the third fixture in this year's tournament to be called off.
