Coronavirus: Wirral school closes after child's parent tests positive

Head teacher Mark Bellamy said he was closing the school as a precaution

A school on Merseyside has closed after a pupil's parent tested positive for coronavirus after returning from Italy.

Head teacher Mark Bellamy said he took the decision to close Hilbre High School in West Kirby, Wirral, as a precaution.

Some pupils had recently been skiing in northern Italy, but Mr Bellamy said the case was not linked to the trip.

Wirral Council is working with Public Health England and health colleagues to stop the virus spreading.

Writing in a statement on the school's website, Mr Bellamy said: "Hilbre High School has today been informed that a parent of students at the school has tested positive for the coronavirus.

"Prior to confirmation that the parent had contracted the virus, a child of the parent attended school yesterday.

"As a precaution, we are closing to allow our school community to move forward and ensure that the school is clean for all of our staff and students.

"We have not been asked to close by the local authority or Public Health England."

'No need to remain closed'

Regarding the pupils' recent trip to Italy, he said no students or staff members who were on the school's ski trip had "tested positive for coronavirus".

He added the school, which has more than 1,100 pupils, would reopen "when I am confident that there is no risk to students".

Julie Webster, director of public health for Wirral Council, added: "Public Health England have spoken to the school, assessed the risk and confirmed that there is currently no information to suggest that there is any increased health risk to any pupils, staff and families at this time, and therefore no public health reason to remain closed at the current time."

Up to a fifth of the workforce may be off sick during the peak of a coronavirus epidemic in the UK, the government has said in its latest plans.

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