Sydney schools ban pupils from attending if their families have been to China to stop coronavirus

Schools are BANNING pupils from attending classes if their families have been to China to stop the deadly coronavirus from spreading

  • Three men in NSW and one in Victoria have so far caught the deadly coronavirus 
  • A 21-year-old Chinese student tested positive to the disease in preliminary tests 
  • Federal health authorities confirmed on Monday the woman was now in isolation 
  • The disease began in Wuhan, China, and has now killed 80 people in that country
  • Private schools have put measures in place to try to halt the spread of the virus 

Private schools with students whose families have recently travelled to China are banning those pupils from returning to classes if they do not have medical clearances.

The New South Wales Department of Education is also encouraging all school principals to ‘monitor children and staff closely for any strange illnesses.’

Both moves are precautions to halt the spread of the deadly coronavirus which has been introduced to Australia from the China, where it was first detected in Wuhan.

Three of the four cases of the disease confirmed in Australia are in NSW. 

Sydney’s Newington College and The Scots College for boys and Kambala school for girls have told parents that students whose families had been to China would require a doctor’s certificate to commence term one.

Private schools with students whose families have recently travelled to China are banning those pupils from returning to classes.Pictured are medical workers moving a coronavirus patient from the intensive care unit of Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University

Newington College and The Scots College for boys and Kambala school for girls have told parents that students whose families had been to China would require a doctor's certificate to commence term one. Kambala, at Rose Bay, is pictured

Newington College and The Scots College for boys and Kambala school for girls have told parents that students whose families had been to China would require a doctor’s certificate to commence term one. Kambala, at Rose Bay, is pictured

The Scots College told parents in an email it had received received ‘several enquiries’ about coronavirus, according to the ABC.

‘If your family has recently visited China, we ask that you refrain from sending your son/s to school until they have received a medical clearance from a doctor,’ the email reads.

Pupils who had visited China would have to ‘visit the College Clinic immediately for a preliminary check-up’ before they could start classes.

Pymble Ladies College parents have also been asked to comply with strict guidelines to protect pupils and staff from the spread of the virus. 

Melbourne private schools Firbank Grammar School and Scotch College have asked parents to keep their children home for 14 days if they have travelled to parts of China affected by coronavirus, according to 3AW. 

The Scots College had cancelled its Chinese New Year celebrations on January 31 ‘as a precautionary measure’.

The school’s Parents’ Association had scheduled a cocktail party for Tuesday, which would still go ahead.

‘Though if you have visited China during the holidays, we ask that you do not join us this year,’ the email said.

Three men in NSW aged 43, 53 and 35 and one Victorian man aged in his 50s were confirmed to have caught the disease. Pictured are passengers arriving at Sydney Airport from Wuhan

Three men in NSW aged 43, 53 and 35 and one Victorian man aged in his 50s were confirmed to have caught the disease. Pictured are passengers arriving at Sydney Airport from Wuhan 

The New South Wales Department of Education is also encouraging all school principals to 'monitor children and staff closely for any strange illnesses.' Pictured is Newington College

The New South Wales Department of Education is also encouraging all school principals to ‘monitor children and staff closely for any strange illnesses.’ Pictured is Newington College

A 21-year-old Chinese student is likely to become the fifth person in Australia to be infected by coronavirus, health authorities have said.

The Scots College is among schools which have issued warnings about coronavirus

The Scots College is among schools which have issued warnings about coronavirus

The nation’s chief medical officer Professor Brendan Murphy confirmed the woman was in isolation and had tested positive to the virus in preliminary examinations.

‘She is in isolation until the final confirmation,’ Professor Murphy said. 

‘But NSW Health feel she’s likely to be the fifth case in the country.’

Health authorities are working to track down people the 21-year-old woman came into contact with and potentially infected.

The news comes after three men in NSW aged 43, 53 and 35 and one Victorian man aged in his 50s were confirmed to have caught the disease.

The virus, which experts fear will ‘highly likely’ continue to spread in Australia, has so far killed 80 people in China and infected more than 2,000 worldwide.

Since the outbreak at the end of December, Chinese authorities have placed 56 million people in lockdown – including more than 100 Australian children aged between six months and 16 years old.

Since the outbreak of coronavirus at the end of December, Chinese authorities have placed 56 million people in lockdown. Pictured is a Chinese health worker taking a patient's temperature

Since the outbreak of coronavirus at the end of December, Chinese authorities have placed 56 million people in lockdown. Pictured is a Chinese health worker taking a patient’s temperature

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