School ski trip to return early

A school skiing trip to Italy from St Margaret’s Academy in Livingston is being cut short because of the coronavirus.

A party of 30 pupils from the West Lothian school set off on Sunday, along with three PE teachers and a ski instructor, for the seven-day holiday.

They were due to return this Sunday, but as the number of coronavirus cases in Italy mount it was decided the group should head home today as a precaution.

West Lothian Council said the party, including pupils from a range of year groups, were not in an area where cases of the virus had been reported and none of them were feeling unwell, so there was no need for any quarantining or testing when they returned.

The group is in the Aosta Valley in the Western Alps, close to the French and Swiss borders. They are travelling by bus and are trying to arrange a ferry back to the UK as soon as possible. It is thought they are likely to arrive back in Livingston in the early hours of tomorrow – two days earlier than planned.

Italy has seen more than 370 cases of coronavirus and 12 deaths in the past few days. Most cases are concentrated in the Lombardy region around Milan. A West Lothian Council spokesman said: “As a precautionary measure, given the level of public interest in this matter, the school has decided to return the group a few days earlier than planned. It is important to stress that no members of the group have reported any symptoms of being unwell.”

The coronavirus outbreak is meanwhile causing a shortage of wedding dresses in the UK ahead of the peak season, a Labour MP has warned.

Chris Bryant said many dresses sold by bridal retailers in the UK are imported from China and shops “have found it really difficult because the factories have been closed”.