The Bahrain Grand Prix will be closed to spectators.Credit:AP
"Bahrain has made the decision to hold this year's[race] as a participants-only event,"organisers said on Sunday.
"Convening a major sporting event,which is open to the public and allows thousands of international travellers and local fans to interact in close proximity would not be the right thing to do at the present time,"they added.
"To ensure that neither the sport,nor its global supporter base,is unduly impacted,the race weekend itself will still go ahead as a televised event."
Bahrain is the second F1 race casualty of the virus. The Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai scheduled for April 19 has already been postponed.
A Bahrain International Circuit spokesman said accredited media would attend as usual.
Bahrain has suspended flights to some destinations over concerns of the rapidly spreading virus. It has also asked people entering the country who have recently visited Italy,South Korea,Egypt and Lebanon to isolate themselves for two weeks.
Maranello,Italy,the home of the Ferrari team,is within the affected area.