Leyton Orient has today announced that "virtually all" staff members have been placed on furlough for the foreseeable future, with the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic being felt throughout the English Football League.

In a statement on the club website, Orient confirmed the majority of their staff members would be placed on a temporary leave of absence, where they will be able to claim 80 per cent of their wages in accordance with the government's scheme.

The statement reads: "Following extensive discussions between the board, the decision has been made as a club to make full use of the government furlough scheme.

In simple terms, virtually all staff members will be put on a temporary leave of absence – with 80% of their wages (up to the cap) being fulfilled by the government.

Furthermore, the Club, along with the majority of EFL Clubs are in continued dialogue with the authorities including the PFA (Professional Footballers Association)

This difficult decision has been taken in order to best protect the club financially, as we continue in a period of unprecedented uncertainty.

The Club is very committed to its much-valued staff and players and wants to give them as much certainty as possible, and will therefore be taking the further step of paying the remaining salaries above the cap for the months of March and April.

The Club will be assessing the situation as things develop and will continue to act with the well-being of staff at heart."

Chief executive Danny Macklin said the decision had been made due to the "tough and concerning" times and that discussions were ongoing regarding the players' wages.

He said: "We appreciate these are tough and concerning times for virtually every business across the world, and Leyton Orient are no different.

“The longer we are unable to play games, especially in front of a crowd, sell non-matchday events, the bigger the impact could potentially be on the game and Clubs.

“We are working very closely with the EFL, the PFA and LMA to follow the required process with regards to the Club’s playing staff.”