The BNP Paribas Open, due to begin tomorrow in Indian Wells, is among the events where the measures will be brought in.

Others include the Miami Open, scheduled to take place from March 23 to April 5, and the WTA’s Volvo Car Open in Charleston from April 6 to 12.

Following medical advice by health experts, six measures have been taken in the interest of the health and safety of players, staff, fans and the wider tennis community.

Players and mascots will not hold hands when walking out on court, while ball kids will be provided with gloves to wear on court, will not handle player towels during matches and will not handle player drinks during matches.

Furthermore, players will be instructed to not distribute used equipment - such as towels, headbands, shirts and sweatbands - to fans following matches or practice, and will not accept pens, tennis balls or other items to hold for autograph signing.

"The health and safety of our players, fans, staff and tournament personnel is paramount and, as the outbreak of COVID-19 continues, these are common sense precautions for us to take," the ATP and WTA said in a joint statement.

"We continue to monitor this closely on a daily basis, working with our players and tournaments, as well as public health authorities as the situation evolves globally."

The measures are set to be implemented across all WTA events and ATP Tour and ATP Challenger Tour events through the 2020 spring season, with a further review to follow.

The coronavirus crisis is wreaking havoc on a number of sports' calendars, with some being forced to postpone or cancel qualifying events for this year's Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Globally, more than 107,000 cases of COVID-19, the official title given to the virus by the World Health Organization, have been confirmed.

To date, there have been more than 3,600 deaths.