LOS ANGELES (REUTERS) - Players will be banned from handing their towels to ball-kids at next week's BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, organisers said on Friday (March 6).

The exchange of sweaty towels between players and ball-kids between points has long been a source of contention in the sport due to hygiene reasons.

Tournament officials said players will have to place and fetch towels themselves - a chair will be placed at the back of the court for their use.

Ball-kids will also wear gloves.

Player and fan interaction will also be limited and all common areas at the facility in the Southern California desert will be cleaned daily with an antiviral application, the tournament said.

Restaurant and food supply workers will wear gloves, N95 masks will be available if needed for first aid and health personnel.

Meanwhile, former world No. 1s Simona Halep and Angelique Kerber have pulled out of the tournament after failing to recover from injuries.

This is the season’s first Premier Mandatory event and Romanian Halep, the reigning Wimbledon champion, has not shaken off a foot problem.

“I’m incredibly disappointed to have to withdraw from the 2020 BNP Paribas Open,” the world No. 2 said in a statement on the tournament’s Twitter handle.

“Unfortunately, the foot injury that I picked up before Dubai is still causing me trouble and I will be unable to recover in time to travel to Indian Wells.”

Halep, who won the Dubai title last month, was champion at Indian Wells in 2015.

Three-times Grand Slam champion Kerber has not recovered from a leg injury and the 32-year-old is also set to miss this month’s Miami Open.

“My patience is being tested these days as I’m still recovering from a left leg injury,” the German, last year’s runner-up at Indian Wells, wrote on Instagram.

“I was hoping to be ready in time for the upcoming tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami, but my medical team advised me to give it a little bit more rest.”

The tournament is coordinating with local hospitals and Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to approve testing for individuals with symptoms.

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a statewide emergency following the death of an elderly person - the first fatality in the region from the virus.

The virus has infected more than 100,000 people worldwide, killed more than 3,400 people and spread across more than 90 nations.