'Pokemon Go' just made it easier to play at home during coronavirus pandemic

Pokémon Go, a game that relies on players venturing out and about to catch critters and spin Pokéstops, has announced some changes in the wake of the new coronavirus.

In the early hours of Friday morning, Niantic tweeted to say it's "putting focus on expanding features and experiences in our games that can be enjoyed in an individual setting," citing player safety as a top priority.

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The practical implications? The upcoming Abra Community Day event — which would likely have seen a surge of players out and about scooping up Abra spawns — has been postponed. A number of features have also been tweaked to make it easier to play Pokémon Go from a home setting.

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Here's a list of the features changes that are being made, per the official Pokémon Go site:

- A one-time purchase bundle of 30 Incense for 1 PokéCoin. Incense will also last for one hour.

- 1/2 Hatch Distance when Eggs are placed into Incubators during this time period

- PokéStops will now drop Gifts more frequently

- Pokémon habitats will increase and more Pokémon will be appearing in the wild

It's worth noting that while increased spawns and super-cheap Incense (which causes 'mons to spawn in your current location) will make it easier to play from home, you won't be able to do everything from one place. Eggs still require some walking, and PokéStops (unless you have one on your doorstep) still need to be visited to collect items like Pokéballs.

Elsewhere, Niantic has also announced a postponement for its Harry Potter: Wizards Unite March community day.

COVID-19, the official name for the disease caused by coronavirus, now has over 125,000 confirmed cases globally. Over 4,600 people have died.