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Wimbledon College has announced it will close until March 10 and undergo a deep clean after a member of staff tested positive for coronavirus after travelling to Italy.

A letter sent to parents by the school said it had been contacted about the case by Public Health England (PHE).

The member of staff was last in school on February 25 and “has not had contact with pupils since the beginning of this half term,” the letter said.

“However, as some staff members are now classed as close contacts of a confirmed case of Covid-19 they are required to self-isolate as a precautionary measure for 14 days,” the letter said.

It said the school must close due to low staff numbers and hopes to reopen on March 10.

It is the latest in a number of school closures caused by the coronavirus crisis.

At least 10 primary and secondary schools have been closed over the last week, as the country’s top medic said long-term closures would be a possibility during a pandemic of Covid-19.

Moorlands infant and junior schools in Bath closed for the first time on Friday, after a member of the school community developed symptoms after travelling abroad.

Acting head teacher Warrick Barton said in a statement: “I hope that you will understand that I have taken this decision with children’s health as the first priority, as well as the health of the whole school community.

“This is very much a precautionary measure, but one that puts children first.”

The ill person is said to have been to a “category two” country in the last 14 days, which could include China (but not Wuhan city or Hubei province), northern Italy, Japan or Singapore, among others.

Burbage Primary School in Buxton, Derbyshire, also remained closed on Friday, after a parent was thought to have contracted the illness while on holiday in Tenerife.

Cransley School in Cheshire closed on Tuesday after a number of students and staff who went on a ski trip to northern Italy over half-term began showing flu-like symptoms, and is yet to reopen, as is Trinity Catholic College in Middlesbrough.

Dulwich Prep School in south London took the decision to close on Thursday, after a number of pupils fell ill after travelling during the half-term break and were due to be tested.

The school has not yet confirmed whether it will reopen on Monday.

In the middle of the week, Public Health England (PHE) advised schools to stay open, with medical director Paul Cosford saying: “Schools have to face difficult decisions, given the complexity of issues that they are facing.

“What I would say is that our general advice is not to close schools.”