The continental body said the group, chaired by Medical Commission head Pedro Branco, would also provide advice to athletes, organisers and other stakeholders following concerns over the spread of the virus.

European Athletics has told athletes to continue preparing for events if normal and has not yet postponed or cancelled any of its competitions.

Among the European Athletics events which could be impacted by the virus, which has killed over 3,300 people and infected more than 96,000 worldwide, are next week's Indoor Masters Championships in Braga in Portugal.

The World Athletics Half Marathon Championships is scheduled to take place in Poland on March 29, while Italy - the worst affected country outside of China, South Korea and Iran - is due to stage the European Athletics Under-18 Championships in July.

World Athletics was forced to postpone its World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, which had been set to be held from March 13 to 15, until next year because of the virus.

Dozens of events, including World Championships and Olympic qualifiers, across numerous sports have been either postponed, cancelled or relocated due to the virus, officially known as COVID-19.

"The taskforce's current advice is that athletes and organisers continue their preparations for all European Athletics events as normal unless they are officially informed otherwise," European Athletics said in a statement.

"The taskforce will meet regularly to monitor developments in the situation and adjust its position as appropriate.

"In the meantime, European Athletics encourages all members of the European athletics family to follow the information and guidance provided by local health authorities and the World Health Organization."