Taipei, Feb. 26 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen said Wednesday that preparations for her second inauguration ceremony have been suspended in order to prioritize prevention efforts against the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.

Tsai also said that if there are still concerns about the spread of COVID-19 on May 20 -- when the ceremony has historically been held -- no large-scale public event will take place.

The ceremony will be held in accordance with advice from the Central Epidemic Command Center, she said.

Tsai, who made the announcement on Facebook, also thanked several religious organizations in Taiwan for their decisions to postpone large events or to instead livestream services due to the outbreak so that followers can watch from home.

The understanding of these organizations and their followers at this crucial time allows disease prevention efforts to be carried out more smoothly and has reduced the pressure on frontline medical workers, she said.