Italy is considering a country wide closure of all schools and universities in an effort to stop a further spread of coronavirus.

Some international schools have already issued letters informing parents and guardians they will be closed as a preventative measure as of Thursday, with remote online teaching beginning Friday.

The Italian cabinet is currently meeting to discuss the proposition to close schools and an official announcement is expected afterwards.

"No decision on the closure of schools has been made, we asked the technical-scientific committee for further information. the decision will come in the next few hours," the Minister of Education Lucia Azzolina said in a statement to CNN sent from the Prime Minister’s office.

CORRECTION: This post has been updated to reflect that the Italian cabinet is considering closing all schools.