RIO DE JANEIRO, March 13 -- Football matches in the Brazilian cities of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo will be played behind closed doors until further notice as a precaution against the coronavirus, officials said on Friday.

In a statement, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said the decision followed the advice of the health ministry to limit the risk of contagion.

"This measure has an indefinite term and is being taken due to the extent of the coronavirus transmission in these urban centers," the CBF said.

The move came as Brazil's number of confirmed coronavirus cases reached 77, with most of the infections reported in the states of Rio and Sao Paulo.

Other football governing bodies in Latin America also took steps on Friday to combat the outbreak.

The Paraguayan Football Federation suspended all games until March 24 while Colombia suspended all major competitions until further notice.

The Chilean Football Association ordered all games scheduled from March 19 to April 19 to be played without fans while Uruguay's FA said this weekend's matches would take place behind closed doors.

Meanwhile, the North American, Central American and Caribbean Football Confederation (CONCACAF) suspended all competitions over the next 30 days.

On Thursday, FIFA postponed the opening two rounds of South America's 2022 World Cup qualifiers, which had been slated for March 23-31.

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