A SCHOOL has told parents that "lessons will continue as normal" after a parent "in the school community" was advised to "self-isolate".

Brighton Girls in Old Shoreham Road, Brighton, sent a letter to relatives of pupils saying "the parent is not a regular volunteer at school and we feel confident that they have taken all precautions necessary".

The letter, signed by headteacher Rosie McColl, said: "You will have heard today that there are some people, in Brighton and Hove, who have been advised to self-isolate.

"We have also heard today that a parent, in our Prep community, has also been advised of this and is taking the necessary precautions."

Though lessons will be continuing as normal, the school reinforced advice from Public Health England that "anyone who has visited Hubei province in the past 14 days should self-isolate" and "people returning from other parts of China, including Macao and Hong Kong, as well as Thailand, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia, and who get a cough, a high temperature or short of breath (even if the symptoms are mild) should self-isolate and seek medical advice".

Rosie McColl said: "It’s possible that, by the end of half-term, the advice will be to self-isolate if you’ve been to these places, whether you have symptoms or not.

"It’s also likely that this list of countries will grow longer. 

"Under these circumstances, we are asking pupils and staff who visit these countries during half-term to stay away from school until 14 days after they return.

"If your daughter has close contact with family members or others who have returned from these hotspots, please let me know and I will decide, on a case-by-case basis, whether it’s appropriate for her to return to school immediately."

She added: "We will of course monitor the situation and keep you updated should there be any changes to this advice."

But the headteacher also said she wanted to remind people that the risk of contracting the disease was low.

She said: "As of 2pm on Tuesday 11th February, 1,358 individuals in the UK had been tested for coronavirus and 1,350 confirmed negative and eight positive.

"Health professionals are contacting anyone who has been in close contact with those who have coronavirus. 

"It is important to understand that the risk to individuals in the UK remains low.

"As I know you will be aware Public Health England are investigating who may have had contact with individuals who have been confirmed as testing positive for Covid-19. 

"As part of the management of these contacts, individuals who have had close contact with a confirmed case will have been contacted by Public Health England.

"They are being advised that they must self-isolate for a period of fourteen days with no exceptions."