JUPITER, Fla. -- Major League Baseball has decided to cancel Spring Training games and to delay the start of the 2020 regular season by at least two weeks due to the national emergency created by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Cardinals issued a statement following MLB’s announcement, saying that the team supports MLB’s decision and that it has created an internal task force with representatives across the organization to help with the situation.

“From the beginning of this uncertain, global pandemic, we have emphasized the safety of our fans, players and staff,” Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said in the statement. “We are supportive of the decision by MLB, which allows us additional time to navigate this evolving situation and prioritize the safety of everyone.”

Below is a list of questions aimed toward helping you understand how the Cardinals will handle various consequences of this decision, including player workouts and ticket refunds.

When will the season start?
There is no official start date for the season at this time. What we do know is that the start of the season will be delayed at least two weeks. Opening Day had been scheduled for Thursday, March 26.

MLB will continue to evaluate ongoing events leading up to the start of the season. Guidance related to daily operations and workouts will be relayed to all 30 clubs in the coming days.

How will the schedule change to accommodate the late start?
According to the release sent by Major League Baseball, MLB and the teams have been preparing a variety of contingency plans regarding the 2020 regular-season schedule. MLB will announce the effects on the schedule at an appropriate time and will remain flexible as events warrant, with the hope of resuming normal operations as soon as possible.

What’s going to happen with the rest of Spring Training?
Forthcoming Spring Training games were canceled as of 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, and 2020 World Baseball Classic qualifying games scheduled in Tucson, Ariz., were postponed indefinitely.

What about Minor League Baseball?
Minor League Baseball announced on Thursday that the start of the regular season, originally scheduled for April 9, will be delayed indefinitely.

Where will the players go?
The Cardinals are scheduled to have a team meeting on Friday morning, which the team hopes to use to answer questions and get feedback from players, as well as to make a plan for workouts in the coming days. There will be no official workout after the meeting.

The Cardinals complex in Jupiter will remain open for use by players. It will be closed to the public.

“This is now a part of our job,” Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said. “And we’ll do it, we’ll reevaluate, reorganize and, again, it’s based on the parameters that are not yet set. That’s why the day off makes sense tomorrow. Guys have been working hard with the schedule. Let them get a day away, do what they have to do personally and then we’ll reevaluate based on the parameters of how we’re told to operate.”

I have tickets to the home opener, what does this mean for me? What about tickets to other games?
Fans with tickets purchased through Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium for the suspended games will receive a refund for their tickets (excluding service fees). Fans who purchased season tickets, season parking tickets, mini-plans, group tickets, individual game(s) tickets, individual parking tickets or Batting Practice Experience will be refunded for the remaining unplayed games.

If paid by credit card, a refund will be applied to the credit card last used.

If paid by check, contact the ticket office using one of the following methods to confirm your mailing address:

• By phone: 561-630-1828
• By email: [email protected]

If the ticketing office does not hear from you by April 15, it will mail the refund check to the address on file.

If paid by cash, bring or mail game ticket(s) to the Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium ticket office and include the name and address where the refund is to be mailed. If sending by mail, please send to:

Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium
ATTN: Ticket Office
4751 Main Street
Jupiter, FL 33458

The Cardinals have not yet addressed their policy for previously purchased tickets for regular-season games. They will make an announcement about ticketing details soon.

How might this affect the Cardinals once play resumes?
Before MLB’s announcement, Miles Mikolas (right flexor strain) and Andrew Miller, who has gone through a series of tests trying to determine the reason for his lack of feel, were going to miss Opening Day. Depending on how long the delay is, the Cardinals could have Mikolas -- who began playing catch on Thursday -- back in the rotation and Miller back in the bullpen.

Shildt and pitching coach Mike Maddux on Friday will begin planning how to keep pitchers fresh.

“It’s a rework in the schedule,” Shildt said. “And we don’t know what the structure looks like, what the schedule looks like, so everything’s going to be based on when we get more definitive [guidance], and we won’t have it for some period of time. [We’ll be] talking through what this looks like and be prepared for a couple of different scenarios, so we’re ahead of what this looks like, at least from a preparation standpoint.”

What are they saying?
Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak: “It’s bigger than simply the baseball side. These are people who do have grandparents, they do have parents that might have a higher risk than a young, 20-something who’s healthy.”

Miller: “At the end of the day, sports are important to us. There are much bigger things in life, and if we handle this correctly, everything will be all right. ... It’s been a huge topic, whether you’re in the weight room, in the training room, it’s there. We’re aware of it.

Which games will be affected?
The Cardinals were set to open the season in Cincinnati on March 26, and then go to Milwaukee on March 30. Their home opener was scheduled for April 2 against Baltimore. None of those games will be played as scheduled, but MLB has not announced if they will be cancelled or postponed to a later date.

Is the exhibition game in Texas still on?
Mozeliak said he hadn’t been in contact with the Rangers about the exhibition game scheduled for March 23 at the new Globe Life Field in Arlington. He also said that the timing of an exhibition game would be “difficult” with the season being delayed.

How does this affect the London Series?
MLB has not addressed the Cardinals' scheduled participation in the London Series, which is scheduled to be played on June 13-14 against the Cubs at London Stadium. Mozeliak said there is still time before the league and the teams must make a decision, and St. Louis wants to give it as much time as possible before having to cancel that series.

Worth noting
The Cardinals said they have had no Minor League or Major League players show symptoms that would qualify them for a COVID-19 test. The Minor League players, who reported to camp this week, were asked about any international travel when they had their physicals.

The Cardinals ended travel for all of their scouts -- both amateur and pro games -- and encouraged them to go home on Wednesday.