COVID-19 has halted rugby and all related activities until mid-April but with the government taking new steps daily the prospect of the sport returning this season fades almost by the hour.

It was revealed on Monday evening that the Premiership campaign would be suspended until April 24 at the earliest when Worcester Warriors are set to play Bristol Bears at Sixways.

The key word used in the statement was “at least” and suggests the proposed date for a return will be under constant review so, with the seriousness of the coronavirus, sport in general has an uncertain few months ahead.

Looking at the impact this shorter period alone will have on Warriors doesn’t make for great reading.

Home fixtures with Gloucester and Harlequins have been suspended which will consequently mean missing out on thousands over the next month or so.

Worcester aren’t one of the financial powerhouses in this sport by any stretch and as a club they are heavily reliant on ticket sales and money spent at Sixways on matchdays.

If the season was to be cancelled, clubs are looking at losses of millions potentially and it would take a long time for Warriors as a club to recover.

Worcester bring in on average about 8,000 to 9,000 fans to Sixways for games and if you did some quick maths and assumed each of those spend about £10 a game on food and drink, on average, that’s around £80,000.

Times that by two for the games now not going ahead and you’re looking at a big number and that’s even before ticket sales.

If the season gets called off completely, the damage would be monstrous and you fear serious repercussions.

But do spare a thought for the semi-professional clubs, the local sides in Worcestershire as well, how do they expect to cope when they struggle to stay afloat at the best of times, especially after all the flooding in the last month or so?

What now then? Clubs will undoubtedly want to try to finish the season for financial reasons but is it realistic?

There seems to be an air of inevitability about what will happen ­— the rugby season will have to stop before its conclusion as we try to prevent the spread of this disease.

When you consider all of the implications, people’s health and well-being comes first but it still begs the question as to what will happen if the season is ended before another ball is kicked.

The only fair decision would be to wipe the campaign and restart when it is safe to do so but what about Saracens and promotion from the Championship?

I certainly would not want to be the one making that decision.