4 Serie A matches postponed over coronavirus fears

Italian authorities have ordered the postponement of four Serie A matches Sunday amid coronavirus fears in northern Italy.

Scudetto hopefuls Inter Milan confirmed Saturday that a visit from Sampdoria has been suspended, while Atalanta's match with Sassuolo, Cagliari's trip to Verona, and Torino's meeting with Parma were been called off.

"Minister of Sport (Vincenzo) Spadafora intends to suspend all sporting events planned for Sunday in the Veneto and Lombardy regions," Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte said, according to BBC Sport.

There have been 79 confirmed cases of the communicable virus in the outbreak in Italy, which has claimed two lives, according to AFP.

Saturday's decision comes after a woman from the northern region of Lombardy died due to the coronavirus, the second death from the virus in Italy over the last 24 hours, per BBC Sport.

Numerous towns in the Lombardy region have been placed under lockdown, with schools and offices closed amid fears of the disease. More than 1,200 cases have been confirmed in 26 countries outside of China, the origin of the virus.

In China, there have been over 75,500 reported cases of the virus, resulting in 2,239 deaths.

Rescheduled dates for the fixtures have yet to be finalized.