Kentish Express Ashford & District
Pupils stay home amid fears over coronavirus
A group of pupils from Homewood School were told not to come back to class after returning from a ski trip to Italy amid coronavirus fears.
Principal Jeremy Single said he had consulted widely with teachers, parents and the county council before reaching his decision, which came because of the explosion of coronavirus cases in northern Italy.
In a message to parents, Mr Single wrote: “A group of pupils and staff returned from a week-long ski trip to Italy on Saturday.
“The group had visited an area identified as Category 2 by Public Health England (PHE), meaning they were not required to self-isolate unless they felt unwell, which none of them did.
“However, in order to reassure all members of the school community during this worrying time, we have taken the additional precaution of asking the pupils and staff concerned to remain at home.
“The safety and well-being of all our pupils and staff is of paramount importance and we will continue to monitor and review the situation.”
The pupils had been staying in Bormio, in the Lombardy region of the Alps in northern Italy, which is at the centre of the country’s coronavirus outbreak, where there are now more than 2,500 people infected.
News of the school’s decision coincided with the announcement that the first case of coronavirus had been uncovered in Kent.
On Monday, a business at Maidstone Studios confirmed one of its members of staff had tested positive for the potentially deadly condition, now named Covid-19.
The person who contracted the virus, who had just returned from Italy, was located in the North East London Foundation Trust NHS office suite on the first floor.
The Grove Green site opened in 1982 and describes itself as the largest independent TV studios and has been used to film Supermarket Sweep, Take Me Out and Trisha and was also the scene of the leaders debate, when Jeremy Corbyn took on Boris Johnson ahead of the General Election.
Mr Single’s decision at Homewood is an extra precaution on top of government advice that says those returning from the area need only self-isolate if they develop the symptoms of the virus which are a cough, high temperature and shortness of breath.
Meanwhile Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Faversham has emailed parents to advise a family member of some of its students has tested positive for the virus. The relatives and another student have self-isolated for 14 days.