Guildford County School Issues Coronavirus Advice After Italy Ski Trip

Published on: 26 Feb, 2020
Updated on: 29 Feb, 2020

After a group of Guildford County School students and staff returned from skiing in the Coronavirus-hit Lombardy region of Italy, the school sent a message to all parents on Monday (February 24) to keep their child at home if they were “unwell, with a fever, sore throat, cough or flu-like symptoms”.

Guildford County School issued coronavirus advice to parents after a half-term school ski trip returned from northern Italy.

Italy is the worst affected country in Europe in the rapidly developing coronavirus outbreak and Lombardy is a popular venue for skiing holidays.

Lombardy and Veneto have enforced a lockdown in 11 towns with police manning checkpoints around the towns. 11 people have died in Italy due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Updated Government advice is to call NHS111 and stay indoors and avoid contact with other people even if there are no symptoms if a person has returned since February 19 from one of the “specific lockdown areas in northern Italy as designated by the Government of Italy.”

The Guildford County School website, updated on February 25, emphasised that the school was open as usual and that it was following the latest official advice as it was updated.

It said: “We are not aware of any staff or pupils that have travelled from these areas.”

The ski trip visited Bormio in northern Italy.

Coronavirus risk in northern Italy

One parent told The Guildford Dragon NEWS: “Given the great lengths that everyone is going to in order to protect us from this virus it is astonishing that the school did not quarantine its own pupils.”

Some schools in England and Northern Ireland had already advised staff and students to stay at home after they returned from skiing trips in northern Italy.

Other schools have completely closed in an effort to minimise the potential spread of the infection.

The statement from Guildford County School said: “You may have noted in the media that some schools who have also skied in Italy have taken the decision to close. This is a matter for these schools and does not reflect current guidance, which I believe it is in the best interests of all at County that we follow.”

Surrey County Council’s director of public health, Ruth Hutchinson, said: “We are working closely with Guildford County School where children are known to have returned from a ski trip in northern Italy. We have been informed that these children did not travel to the specific lockdown areas as defined by the Italian Government.

“This is a fast-moving situation but we are ensuring that all schools are being provided with the up-to-date national guidance from Public Health England.”

The Guildford Dragon NEWS has contacted other schools in the area for comment.

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