Manchester’s National Squash Centre was originally scheduled to stage the PSA World Tour Silver tournament from April 19 to 25.

But the event is now set to be staged in "one of the first two weeks of June" as part of reshuffle to the PSA World Tour's provisional calendar.

The Mauritius Open will make way for the Manchester Open and move to October, partly because Mauritius' borders remain closed for international travel until June in response to the coronavirus crisis.

The PSA said one of the reasons for postponing the Manchester Open was to ensure there was a greater chance of the event being permitted to admit spectators.

Under the United Kingdom Government's roadmap out of lockdown, sporting events held indoors will be allowed up to 1,000 spectators or 50 per cent of the venue’s capacity from May 17.

The PSA said the postponement was also down to the England's revised test and trace system, claiming there is now "real potential for a number of late or in-competition withdrawals".

According to the PSA, athletes flying into the country to compete run the risk of being forced to self-isolate for 10 days should they be identified as a close contact of a person travelling on their plane who has since tested positive for COVID-19.

The PSA claims the contact-tracing system "compromises the integrity of the competition" and has the potential to place "additional strain" on the health and well-being of athletes who could be forced to self-isolate despite organisers operating a bio-secure bubble where players undergo periodic COVID-19 tests.

"Holding the Manchester Open in June will hopefully allow us to welcome spectators to the National Squash Centre for what promises to be a captivating week of action," said PSA chief executive Alex Gough.

"Additionally, postponing the tournament will help us to work with the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Public Health England and other relevant governmental departments to find a suitable solution to the current NHS Test and Trace system which has the potential to severely affect elite sporting events being held in England.

"Throughout this entire pandemic our priority has always been the safety of our players and staff, and we understand the importance of following the health protocols put in place by the UK Government to manage any risk of further transmission of the virus.

"I'd like to thank Manchester City Council for their support and look forward to working with them in the weeks ahead. We will also be keeping a close eye on directives set out by the UK Government as we plan the safe return of spectators to our events in the UK."

The PSA said all parties would work together closely in the coming months to ensure the successful delivery of the tournament.

An update containing confirmed dates for the Manchester Open is expected to be issued later this month.

Only four countries have a worse death toll from coronavirus than the UK, which has registered more than 127,000 fatalities and 4.37 million cases since the start of the pandemic.

Egyptian duo Mohamed ElShorbagy and Nour El Tayeb won the respective men's and women's titles at last year's Manchester Open, which was held behind closed doors in September.