Rachin Ravindra and the Wellington Firebirds have been awarded the 2019-20 Plunket Shield title.

New Zealand Cricket has cancelled the last two rounds of the Plunket Shield first-class competition as a precaution against the spread of coronavirus and awarded the Wellington Firebirds the 2019-20 title.

NZ Cricket chief executive David White said the decision was taken after his organisation received "expert medical advice" on Monday.

"The strong consensus within NZC is that extra measures need to be taken to safeguard both the health and well-being of the New Zealand cricket family and the wider public interest.

"The medical advice we're receiving is that we need to take a lead on this matter.

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"We're informed the risk is very real; the pace of change is great – and we have a duty of care to not only our staff and players but our communities as well."

The Firebirds were 26 points ahead of their nearest challenger, the Central Stags, and have been awarded the title.

In a statement, NZ Cricket said the decision had not been taken because of concerns around mass gatherings, but rather because of concerns about "the heightened risk of transmission in areas such as airports, planes, and hotels".

It also said advice from its own chief medical officer and the Ministry of Health "emphasising the absence of person-to-person transmission in localised environments meant club and amateur cricket could continue to be played".

"The current advice is that there is no reason why community cricket should not continue unless, or until, there is new information to hand," White said.

NZ Cricket has also postponed its annual awards, which were set to be held on March 30 in Auckland.

"Hopefully, this is something we can stage at a later, and more appropriate date – but at the moment it would be far too much of a risk to hold the event in a fortnight, as scheduled," White said.

"Our absolute priority right now is to safeguard the health and well-being of our staff, our players, our wider cricket family – and everyone else connected to the game in New Zealand."