Pezzella and Cutrone tested positive for coronavirus

Fiorentina captain German Pezzella and teammate Patrick Cutrone are the latest Serie A players to be infected by the coronavirus, bringing the number of affected athletes in the Italian top flight to nine cases in just three days.

Pezzella is reportedly doing well and is in isolation at his home in Florence, as is Cutrone.

Juventus' Daniele Rugani was the first case in Serie A and he has since been followed by Sampdoria quintet Omar Colley, Albin Ekdal, Antonino La Gumina, Manolo Gabbiadini and Morten Thorsby, while Fiorentina forward Dusan Vlahovic was revealed to have coronavirus on Friday evening.

Serie A has been suspended since March 10, but in the previous two weeks some games continued to be played behind closed doors in northern areas, initially considered 'red zones,' and open doors in areas that up to that time had been unaffected by the virus.

'Red zone' status has since been expanded to encompass the entire country by the Italian Government, who told all businesses, except those that offer essential services such as supermarkets and pharmacies, to close until March 25.

The first case of the coronavirus among Serie A footballers was confirmed late on Wednesday, when Juventus announced that Rugani had tested positive, although he was asymptomatic and isolated.

It did not take long for signs of support from his teammates and rivals to arrive, with Alvaro Morata, a former Juventus player, sending him support via social media.

More controversial was the message dedicated to him by Juventus midfielder Miralem Pjanic, who stated that something "noisy" had to happen for the authorities to understand the need to stop football.

All the Juventus staff, totalling 121 people, are now in isolation.

Almost all of them are in Italy, whilst Cristiano Ronaldo is respecting the necessary isolation in Madeira alongside his mother, Dolores Aveira, who is recovering from a cerebrovascular problem.