VIRUS SHUTDOWN
FORTY schools in coronavirus lockdown as emergency plans could see ALL UK classrooms and public transport shut
FORTY schools have shut or turned pupils away amid coronavirus fears as plans are drawn up to close ALL UK classrooms and public transport if the virus becomes a pandemic.
Schools across the country were either on lockdown or sent pupils and staff home after they returned from trips in coronavirus-hit northern Italy.
Follow our coronavirus live blog to stay up to date with the latest news and updates.
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Cransley School in Northwich, Trinity Catholic College in Middlesbrough, All Hallows Catholic School in Surrey, Tudor Grange Academy Kingshurst in Birmingham and St Christopher's CofE High School in Accrington have all closed after staff and pupils returned from skiing trips in a coronavirus hit region of Italy.
Other schools have closed on precautionary measures.
Today, Dulwich Prep School in south London shut after several pupils returned from their half term holidays in various coronavirus hotspots.
The £19,000-a-year school has been closed until Monday after several children in different parts of the school became unwell this week.
Burford School in Oxford also shut today over fears one student could have the deadly bug, while St Edward's College in west Derby sent several pupils home who had returned from a ski trip.
William Martin CofE Junior, Infant and Nursery School in Essex closed this week as a precaution after a member of staff returned from Italy.
The ContinU Plus Academy in Kidderminster shut after a member of staff came in close contact with a family member who was self-isolating after a trip to northern Italy.
A school in Benfleet, Essex, has also closed over concerns a member of staff may have contracted the deadly bug.
An employee at The Glenwood School raised the alarm after returning from one of the category two areas and has placed themselves in isolation.
It is believed that the school is being deep-cleaned.
'PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE'
Two more schools in Lincolnshire - Lutton St Nicholas and Gedney Church End Primary schools - closed as a precautionary measure today due to a "potential connection to the coronavirus by an individual within the school".
The schools said in a statement that the individual has been isolated and both schools are being deep cleaned before re-opening.
Lime Academy Watergall in Peterborough will also be deep cleaned and closed for the rest of the week after a family at the school returned from northern Italy.
Meanwhile, five pupils from Higham Lane School have been told to stay away after returning from their ski trip over half-term.
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And a Gateshead teacher from Thorp Academy is now being tested for coronavirus after flying back from the coronavirus-hit country along with 30 kids and two other staff members for their ski trip.
Others are advising students and teachers who feel unwell after returning from virus-stricken parts of Italy to stay at home.
Meanwhile, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said there was a goal to keep schools open.
Speaking in the Commons today, he said: "If anyone has been in contact with a suspected case in a childcare or an educational setting, no special measures are required while test results are awaited.”
"There is no need to close the school or send other students or staff home.
"In most cases, closure of the childcare or education setting will be unnecessary but this will be a local decision based on various factors including professional advice."
In most cases, closure of the childcare or education setting will be unnecessary but this will be a local decision based on various factors including professional advice.
Matt Hancock, Health Secretary
In Birmingham, King Edward VI Five Ways School has advised staff and students who feel unwell after a ski trip in the Italian Alps to stay at home.
In a letter to parents, the school's headteacher said three members of staff were off school today with flu-like symptoms, while another is staying at home after travelling to Thailand with her partner who returned unwell.
Gloucester's Cathedral School, King's, has written to parents of 40 children who returned home from an Italian skiing trip, warning them to stay at home if they feel unwell.
The same applies to any pupils of Trentham Academy in Stoke On Trent who display any coronavirus symptoms after returning from their Italian ski trip.
Two more schools in Brighton have advised students returning from their Italian ski trips to self-isolate.
Brine Leas Academy Sixth Form in Nantwich was closed yesterday but reopened today.
The school is now advising staff and students who travelled to the affected areas in Italy to stay at home and self-isolate if they are displaying symptoms.
A school in Plymouth has confirmed that one of its staff has been sent home while they receive testing for coronavirus.
Parents of children at Stoke Damerel Primary Academy were told via email that the employee is "self-isolating and awaiting tests” to determine whether they have COVID-19.
The staff member in question was “presenting with flu like symptoms" after returning from a holiday in virus-hit Northern Italy over half-term, reports.
A school spokesman said: "Following advice from Public Health England, school will continue as normal.”
HALF TERM HELL
Many schools had been on ski trips during the half term in Italy - where 11 people have now died as the the number of cases continues to rocket.
The Italian government has put 11 towns in Lombardy and Veneto - both popular skiing destinations - into lockdown.
One school axed its ski trip over fears of the deadly virus, with pupils travelling back to the UK two days earlier than planned.
A further 16 schools in the UK sent staff and pupils home to self-isolate for 14 days - including Hall Cross Academy in Doncaster, which is Louis Tomlinson's old school.
Ashcroft Techonology Academy in Putney, south west London sent 22 students and three members of staff to self-quarantine after returning from a two week ski trip in Italy.
Sandbach High School in Cheshire confirmed they were still open but said students and staff on a trip to Lombardy were told to quarantine themselves.
While Cambridge House Grammar School in Northern Ireland sent around 50 pupils and staff home as a precaution after returning from an Italian ski holiday in the same region.
SELF ISOLATE
In Sidcup, Cleeve Park School has advised staff and pupils to stay at home after returning from another ski trip in northern Italy - They have not specified how many people they sent home.
Crispin School in Street, Somerset told pupils who had recently returned from Italy not to come into school - calling it a "precautionary measure".
And In Cornwall, Newquay Tretherras school said in a letter to parents it had told 20 students and three members of staff to stay at home after returning from a ski trip in Pampeago in the north of Italy.
Salendine Nook High School in Yorkshire has also sent pupils home after they returned from a ski trip in northern Italy.
It is also understood 29 Cransley school pupils and five staff members had travelled to Italy for the ski trip - all since advised to stay at home.
Cransley school - one of the stop independent schools in the UK that charges students almost £12,000 a year- has now been closed to all pupils to undergo a deep-clean.
Brits who have travelled to Italy have today been told to "self-isolate" for 14 days to stop the spread of the bug that has claimed seven lives in Italy so far.
'PANDEMIC' FEARS
It comes as England’s top doctor warned a global pandemic may lead to school closures, families quarantined and public transport shut down.
Chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said yesterday: “There’s no secret there’s a variety of things you need to look at, like school closures.”
Currently, only high-risk individuals are asked to stay at home to limit the spread of Covid-19.
But Prof Whitty said whole families could be told to self-isolate during a major outbreak.
Four in five Brits could also become infected by the disease - with up to 500,000 killed, according to a doomsday scenario set out in official papers seen by The Sun.
DEATH TOLL RISES
More than 2,700 people have died globally from coronavirus, while there are more than 80,000 cases.
At least 52 British tourists have been padlocked inside a quarantined Tenerife hotel today with two guests tested positive for the virus.
And throughout northern Italy, 50,000 people have now been placed in total lockdown in 11 towns.
But the country has not been added to the Number 10’s list of “high-risk” countries prompting criticism from medics concerned tourists potentially carrying the virus are not being quarantined.
However, Britain’s chief medical officer is expected to add a number of northern regions of Italy to that list.
Health officials are believed to be considering whether to go further and ask everyone returning from the regions to stay at home for two weeks.
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Health Secretary Matt Hancock said yesterday if anyone has travelled to any quarantined area in Italy, they should self isolate no matter what.
He told BBC News: "Those have been to Northern Italy, anybody that has been to Italy north of Pisa should, if they have flu like symptoms, should self isolate - which means go home and try to stay out of contact with other people.
"If people have been to affected areas the Italian government have quarantined, then they should self isolate whether or not they have symptoms."
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