The FA and Premier League are exploring the costs and implications of staging games behind closed doors later this season to cope with any mass spread of the coronavirus.
Both organisations will be led by the government's public health advice before making any alterations to the fixture list, but have held talks about what to do if large gatherings are prohibited — with behind-closed-doors games emerging as a possibility.
The FA have the added complication of hosting a friendly international at Wembley on March 27 between England and Italy, where six Serie A matches were postponed last weekend due to the spread of the virus.