Some schools in Australia are said to be asking students at risk of the deadly new coronavirus to stay away unless they can prove they are not infected.
WATCH: Scientists are working against the clock to create a vaccine.
So far, Australia has seen four confirmed cases of the deadly new coronavirus: in Sydney, three men aged 35, 43 and 53 remain in hospital, while in Melbourne, a man in his 50s is currently in quarantine at the Monash Medical Centre.
Now, according to users in a Facebook mums’ group, some schools in Sydney, NSW, have issued ‘guidelines’ stating measures intended to prevent further cases from appearing.
Educational institutions are said to be asking that students who have been in affected areas be kept home at the start of the school year until they have passed the disease’s incubation period, or can provide a doctor’s certificate saying they are free of the virus, which has so far killed 56 people globally.
According to one mum’s post in the group, Ravenswood School for Girls, Knox Grammar School, Scots College, St Andrew’s and Highfields Preparatory & Kindergarten School have “all issued guidelines” regarding this.
The Facebook user claims that these schools have requested that families who have recently returned or will be returning from China “either get a doctor’s clearance certificate or stay home for two weeks before sending kids to school”.
The deadly coronavirus, which is believed to have started in a wildlife market in Wuhan, China, has forced Chinese cities into lockdown and sparked the construction of a 1000-bed hospital, to be completed in just five days.
Two people from QLD and two from NSW were reportedly placed into quarantine at an Australian hospital after arriving home from the Chinese city of Wuhun this week.
The four patients presented flu-like conditions similar to that of the virus upon their arrival.
Seven News reports that Australian researchers are “working around the clock” to develop a vaccine, however, it’s expected to take up to six months to make.
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