GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Major League Baseball has canceled the remaining Spring Training games and will delay the start of the 2020 regular season due to the national emergency created by the coronavirus pandemic.

After an in-person meeting with MLB Players Association officials in Arizona, Major League Baseball announced Friday that Spring Training camps will be suspended, effective immediately. Major League players can elect to return home, remain in their Spring Training cities, which would be Glendale for the White Sox, or return to their club’s home city. This step is in the best interests of players, employees and the communities who host Spring Training, per MLB.

White Sox general manager Rick Hahn and Scott Reifert, the team’s senior vice president, communications, were part of a Friday morning conference call to address the situation in regard to their specific team. The conference call came prior to MLB’s latest announcement and followed a full team meeting early Friday.

“This morning we met as a group with the team, with those in Major League camp, players and coaches and staff,” Hahn said. “Had a very good conversation about where we sit right now and how to make the best of the situation.

“We are doing the best we can with the information we have to educate our players and staff about prevention and good hygiene and awareness of the current situation. At the same time, on a more nuanced level, we are also continuing to prepare to the best of our ability for the start of the season when that comes.”

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions concerning this situation:

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. 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 MLB, the league and 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 Thursday that the start of the regular season, originally scheduled for April 9, will be delayed indefinitely.

How might this affect the White Sox once play resumes?
Lucas Giolito, the projected Opening Day starter for the White Sox, only threw one Cactus League inning as he was coming back from a minor chest strain just above his right rib cage, which he first felt at the end of January. His scheduled start Wednesday against the Rockies was rained out, as was the first spring appearance for projected fifth starter Gio González (left shoulder discomfort) and left-handed reliever Jace Fry (back). This delay provides all three players additional time to heal, although the Sox will have to find a way to get Giolito, in particular, ramped back up and ready to start when the season begins.

“We really only sort of mapped out the next three days, today, tomorrow and Sunday,” Hahn said. “And that activity is over the course of the next couple of days will very likely be limited to cage work, pitchers throwing off the mound and possibly some light drills on the field.”

What Spring Training games remained for the White Sox?
A crosstown contest between the Cubs and White Sox was scheduled for Friday at Camelback Ranch. The team had 10 Cactus League games remaining and two exhibition games against the D-backs in Phoenix. All of those games are now canceled, and per the White Sox, fans should check camelbackranchbaseball.com for ticketing updates. This site has the most up-to-date information.

What White Sox games are affected by the delay?
Their 2020 season was scheduled to start on March 26 with a three-game home series against the Royals. That was followed by three in Cleveland, three in Boston and a six-game homestand, taking them to April 13. The White Sox are scheduled to play the Royals nine times by April 23.

“Right now, the long-range plan is that we will play 162 games,” Reifert said. “So, that’s the hope. Whether that ends up being the reality, we’ll see down the road.”