Wimbledon College closes after staff member contracts coronavirus
Wimbledon College will be closed for at least a week after a staff member caught coronavirus on a trip to Italy, forcing teachers into quarantine.
In a letter to parents sent yesterday, the esteemed south London school said the staff member is being treated for “confirmed novel coronavirus” following a recent trip to Italy.
The letter said the staff member was last in school on 25 February.
However, it said some staff members are now classed as close contacts of a confirmed case of the virus and are required to self-isolate for 14 days as a precautionary measure.
“[The staff member] has not had contact with pupils since the beginning of this half term,” the letter read.
“However, as some staff members are now classed as close contacts of a confirmed case of Covid-19 they are required to self-isolate as a precautionary measure for 14 days,” the letter from Wimbledon College read.
It said it was working closely with Public Health England (PHE) and Merton Council to work out the implications for the school.
“This means we will have to temporarily close the school due to low staffing numbers,” the letter said.
The school said it would be closed until 10 March and would carry out a deep clean during this period.
Wimbledon College said PHE had advised it that there is no increased risk to the pupil population as a result of the confirmed case, and staff and parents do not need to self-isolate.
The coronavirus outbreak has spread across western Europe now as Portugal confirmed its first case this morning.
The death toll now stands at over 3,000 as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases approaches 90,000.