A school student has been told to self-isolate for 14 days following a confirmed case of coronavirus in Brighton.

In a message sent to parents on Friday, the Portslade Aldridge Community Academy (PACA) said the pupil was staying at home and that the school would be notified should they start to present symptoms.

It comes as British citizens flying back from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, are due to be quarantined at a facility in Milton Keynes on Sunday.

The UK now has three confirmed cases of the disease.

In its statement, the Brighton school said: "As I am sure many of you are aware, media outlets reported on Thursday of a first confirmed case of the coronavirus in Brighton.


"We are working in collaboration with and being guided by the local authority and Public Health England to ensure that we at PACA are acting consistently with the right medical advice.

"Today we have been contacted by a parent of a student at PACA who was contacted by Public Health England as part of their investigation concerning the confirmed case that was reported in the press.

"We have been informed by the parent that they have been advised by Public Health England to self-isolate their child at home for 14 days. If at any point the child is found to be symptomatic we will be notified."

Image: Passengers wearing masks outside Shanghai railway station

Meanwhile, five people from Britain, including a nine-year-old child, are in hospital in France after contracting the disease during a holiday in the Alps, French health minister Agnes Buzyn said.

They were staying in a chalet in the resort of Contamines-Montjoie and were in close contact with another Briton who is believed to have contracted the virus in Singapore.

The man travelled to the French Alps and then tested positive for the virus on his return to England, Ms Buzyn said.

None of the group, who bring the total number of cases in France to 11, is in a serious condition.

The new type of coronavirus has infected more than 34,800 people globally and killed 724, nearly all of them in China.

Hong Kong has had 25 cases, including one death, while Macao has had 10 cases. Most of the deaths have been in central Hubei province, the epicentre of the breakout.

Image: A couple wear face masks as they walk along the Thames embankment in central London

The five infected Britons in France are being treated in hospitals in the region, in the cities of Lyon, Grenoble and Saint-Etienne. Eleven people in total came into contact with the virus carrier, including another six other British nationals who are currently being monitored.

Contamines, the resort, is in the French Alps and is close to the Swiss city of Geneva and the Mont Blanc peak.

HK introduces mandatory 14 day quarantine

The French government has been in touch with Singapore and the UK, and Singapore authorities are looking into a business congress that took place in a hotel there last month, which was attended by 94 foreigners.

The British man now known to be at the origin of the latest outbreak - the third person in Britain who tested positive for the virus - had travelled to that meeting, Singapore health officials said.

A UK company called Servomex has said a number of its workers in different countries have been diagnosed with the coronavirus and are now being treated.

It said: "We are working closely with all relevant public health authorities and are following their advice to ensure the welfare of our people, including supporting our affected employees, and the wider community."

A UK Foreign Office spokesman said that Britain is seeking information on the new French cases and is ready to offer any support needed.

:: Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker

Earlier cases of the virus in France included an 80-year-old Chinese man in a serious condition, while the others have shown significant signs of improvement in recent days, according to medical officials.

The two other infected Britons had recently travelled from China and are still being treated at the Royal Victoria Infirmary infectious diseases centre in Newcastle.

One is a student at the University of York, while the other is a family member.