As COVID-19 continues to take hold across the country, it’s clear that every sector and industry in our national and global economy is heading for a period of great uncertainty.

There may be a core of businesses and individuals still attempting to adopt an irresponsible ‘business as usual’ strategy, but this shrinks every day as people begin to realise that the threat we all face is very real.

We all, both personally and collectively, need to make major adjustments to how we operate in order to meet the challenges ahead.

With this in mind, Barrow AFC have taken the decision to temporarily close the office and club shop and allow our employees to go home, working remotely where possible, in order to keep core club functions operating. This is the responsible thing to do, and the right thing for families.

Online orders will still be processed and purchased items delivered, and as you will hear elsewhere the Bluebirds Trust are still pressing on to raise the targeted £65,000 to support our club and maintain a 10 per cent stake.

Now more than ever, every penny that we can contribute keeps this club moving forward during unprecedented uncertainty.

In terms of the next steps, clubs so far have no idea when and if this season will resume. The current Premier League plan to pick up the season in June, behind closed doors if necessary, feels wildly optimistic.

Even if it were possible to safely play behind closed doors at the projected peak of this virus, morally it would sit very badly with most people to see essential ambulances and healthcare professionals tied up on the touchline of a football pitch while a national health crisis plays out in the wider nation.

So for now, look after yourselves and stay tuned. It’s unlikely that any decisions on the future of the National League will come in the next few days, but if they do then updates can be sought via all the usual sources.

Rest assured that while we all rightly prioritise our health and that of our friends and family, nobody has lost sight of the interests of Barrow AFC.

We will continue to make the case for financial aid for non-League clubs, and for clarity as to the future of this season.

It may be that we can’t follow the decisions of the much wealthier Football League and Premier League. Whatever the National League decides to do, it must be first and foremost in the interest of its member clubs.

* To give some reassurance that not everything is ‘shutdown’ and ‘income generation’ at Barrow AFC at the moment, I thought fans might appreciate an update on progress with some of our big infrastructure work going on.

The new bar continues at pace. Kris Wilkes has eight days to save himself a pint which looks increasingly unlikely, but by the middle of April the bar should be completed and ready for internal fit out. This will then allow us to turn focus to the Holker End roof.

There is of course some uncertainty now about whether a roof is required for League Two (both in terms of whether we’re getting promoted and of whether the Football League would allow a short amnesty under the circumstances), but the view of the board is that the construction of this roof should continue in any event.

We will therefore be progressing a Football Foundation grant application with a view to commencing the roof during the off-season – whether that be the summer or whenever else the off-season might now fall.

These infrastructure projects come at significant cost to the club, its owners (including the Trust) and the wider support.

But in order to achieve the future we all want for this club, it’s been necessary to invest to create what we hope is going to become something special for our town and wider supporter community.

* As touched on elsewhere in this column, Barrow AFC may be largely shut down in the coming weeks, but its need for income is most certainly not.

The club has expanded its merchandise offering in response and we encourage fans to support this effort.

The revenue from these kind of sales is just about the only income we can make at this time as a club, and we greatly appreciate all support received.

Meanwhile, the Bluebirds Trust are also having to find original ways to generate income during this time of uncertainty.

We also will be expanding into merchandise in the coming weeks, as well as continuing with the half-time raffle as some may have read in last week’s column.

Both the club and the Trust understand the pressure that families now face. We are people ourselves, with families, elderly relatives and vulnerable friends.

But part of fighting this virus is surely ensuring that when we come out of the other side we can return to the institutions and pastimes that we love and that we derive such social connection from.

That’s why we will continue to raise money for Barrow AFC even as this crisis deepens.