Peterborough primary school and pre-school closed over coronavirus fears

Lime Academy Watergall and Bretton Community Pre-School, both in Watergall, Bretton, have announced this morning (Wednesday) that they are closing their doors.

The school will be closed for the rest of the week as a precaution to allow for a deep clean to take place after a family recently returned from northern Italy.

The pre-school did not give a timeframe for when it will re-open but said a child had recently returned from an area currently on lockdown.

The news follows yesterday’s announcements from Lutton St Nicholas Primary School and Gedney Church End Primary School in the Spalding area that they had closed “as a precautionary measure” because of a potential connection to the coronavirus by an individual who is now in isolation.

Meanwhile, Ely College has sent some pupils home for two weeks after they returned from a skiing trip to northern Italy feeling unwell.

The only announcements so far have come from schools, with public bodies refusing to comment unless there is a confirmed case of coronavirus.

RELATED: Spalding schools close over coronavirus fears

A message was sent to parents this morning by Lime Academy Watergall headteacher Angela Wood, which stated: “We have taken advice from Public Health England as we have had a family who have recently returned from northern Italy.

“Although they are currently showing no symptoms we have been advised to closed with immediate effect in order for us to undergo a deep clean. The school will remain closed until Friday and will re-open on Monday, March 2.

“This is NOT a confirmed case of coronavirus in the school, it is a precautionary measure. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause you. Please collect your child with immediate effect.

“We will be opening the KS1 and KS2 gates between 10-11am. If you cannot collect your child until after 11 please collect your child via the school office.”

Bretton Community Pre-School said this morning: “Due to unforeseen circumstances we have been advised to close the setting due to a child who has recently returned from one of the areas on lockdown from the coronavirus.

“This has resulted in us being closed for a deep clean to protect all children and adults. We will keep you updated.”

Across the planet there are more than 80,000 confirmed cases of the disease, including 13 in the UK.

Schools could be closed across the UK and public transport reduced if the infection becomes a global pandemic, health officials have said.

The Foreign Office has also updated its recommendations for Italy and advised against all but essential travel to 10 small towns in Lombardy (Codogno, Castiglione d’Adda, Casalpusterlengo, Fombio, Maleo, Somaglia, Bertonico, Terranova dei Passerini, Castelgerundo and San Fiorano) and one in Veneto (Vo’ Euganeo) which are on lockdown by the Italian authorities.

Schools across the UK have been closing after returning from skiing trips in northern Italy, the centre of a coronavirus outbreak.

The World Health Organization said this week that although the coronavirus is not yet at the stage of a pandemic, it has the potential to become one.