23 February Meeting at Newcastle in three days' time is called off as course falls within an exclusion zone. Share prices of bookmaking firms fall.
Seventh outbreak is confirmed.
26 Feburary Number of confirmed cases rises to 12. Trainers including Kim Bailey, Ferdy Murphy and Wilf Storey call for racing to be halted. 27 February Racing is suspended in Britain for seven days. Irish government bans horse and greyhound racing indefinitely and calls on racegoers and trainers to stay away from Cheltenham. Number of confirmed cases now 18.