Students from Longbenton High School, in North Tyneside, have been told to enter into a period of isolation after they set off to Italy for their ski trip.
On Saturday, the group of forty students set of to travel to
Courmayeur, which is in the north of Italy. But due to the coronavirus
shutdown, the Chronicle have reported that parents were warned to expect their children
back earlier than anticipated after having only been there for twenty four
hours.
The ski resorts in the region of their planned destination announced that they
would close and not reopen this season. This was done in an attempt to control
the spread of the coronavirus.
This is not a stand-alone case, as British nationals are being warned against travel to Italy unless it is essential. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office have said that the safety of Britons was the “number one priority”, and that should anyone return from Italy then they should self-isolate for two weeks.
The ITV have reported that the school have issued a statement saying that their children are “fit and well and this is a precautionary measure. The risk to them and anyone who comes into contact with them is low. This does not affect any other children in the school or other siblings.”
The rest of the students from this school are all being advised to go to school as normal. But the students who were excited for this trip have been told to be “gutted”, as one parent told the BBC. The parent said that they were “all exhausted and desperate to be home” after such a long coach journey.