Horse racing in the United Kingdom is to be suspended from Wednesday due to the coronavirus outbreak, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) announced on Tuesday. "Our first duty is to the health of the public, our customers and to racing industry participants and staff so we have decided to suspend racing following the government's latest advice," BHA chief executive Nick Rust said in a statement. The decision comes a day after the BHA said racing would continue behind closed doors, though the Grand National was cancelled. Britain on Tuesday ramped up its response to the escalating COVID-19 outbreak after the government imposed unprecedented peacetime measures prompted by scientific advice that infections and deaths would spiral without drastic action. pi-jw/iwd