2020 Olympics: Life is more important than any hockey match - Ireland captain Katie Mullan

Mullan and her Ireland team-mates reached the 2018 World Cup final in London

This week I'm supposed to be in South Africa with the Irish women's squad ramping up our preparations for the Tokyo Olympics.

Actually, it was originally to be Malaysia for our warm weather training camp but when coronavirus spread to countries in the Far East in January, the trip had to be cancelled. South Africa was the alternative after we had enjoyed such a great visit there at the start of the year.

However, right now real life is more important than any hockey game or training camp. We have to do what is best to protect our communities.

It's important to say the decision not to travel to Durban wasn't a simple one, but in the end it is the best thing for everyone involved.

There were so many unknowns and too many questions we couldn't possibly know the answers to, and that led us to make the decision along with Hockey Ireland and Sport Ireland. We all need to be responsible and we all need to take the current situation seriously.

Lots of the girls are really trying to drive the importance of social distancing through their social media accounts and that, right now, is the priority of using our voice to encourage this. We want to help the elderly and those most vulnerable in any way we can.

My own hockey club in Ballymoney are going door-to-door around the community handing out care packages where needed. It's the little things that can help so much.

Ireland qualified for the Olympics by beating Canada in a playoff

That's not to say we aren't continuing our preparations 100% for the Tokyo Olympics. As a squad we are used to a strict schedule and lots of training together, so it is different at the moment because we can't really get onto a pitch, meaning we have a lot of self-driven training.

Everyone is getting out and doing a lot of running and most of us have gathered little bits of equipment to set up a gym at home. For now it's down to each player to take individual responsibility. With such a motivated group, this isn't a problem for us.

From my perspective as the captain it is great to hear the girls say how much of an opportunity this is to really push ourselves and push physically to get our fitness levels to the next stage.

The situation is uncertain and we await more information, like many athletes. Our coach, Sean Dancer, has made it clear that our health and wellbeing - and that of our family and friends - is what matters most.

It's not like every other country is training as normal at the moment so it's not like we are falling behind. We are all trying to face the challenges but we are all aware that what is going on in the world is much bigger than any hockey match we might play in or any hockey competition we take part in.

No matter what life you live, the uncertainty around the next couple of months will make you feel uneasy. However, the best we can do for ourselves and our loved ones is adhere to all the advice given around hand hygiene, social distancing and necessary isolation.

I know many people feel anxious, but we are all in this together and it's amazing what we can achieve once we are united in our end goal.

Stay safe.

Katie Mullan was talking to BBC Sport NI's Nigel Ringland.