Closing schools will have a dramatic impact on households across the country, but it might be necessary to stop the coronavirus spreading out of control.

University of Otago public health professor Michael Baker said it was time to act to ensure the virus didn't take hold in the community.

"Now is the time for maximum effort. We really need to maximise social distancing [with] school closures and potentially stopping public transport."

He said schools were a breeding ground for such viruses.

BEVAN READ Closing schools will have a dramatic impact on households across the country, but it might be just what's needed to stop the coronavirus spreading out of control in New Zealand.

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"There are hundreds of thousands of children going to school everyday in New Zealand, and they are very good at transmitting every other virus that we know of, every other respiratory virus, so I think it is a key measure to have on the table now."

Limiting entry to the country and imposing border restrictions was an appropriate first step, as was the next stage that focused on stamping out the virus. But the third stage needed to be increased social distancing measures, he said.

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The government's recent advice to cancel mass gatherings of 500 people or more was a great start, however, more needed to be done. This included people working from home as much as possible, and considering restrictions on mass travel.

According to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand wasn't there yet. For the time being, the government was monitoring containment measures rolled out in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan, three places that reduced transmission rates while keeping schools open.

But Baker thought this kind of approach was necessary, as many places around the world, including New Zealand, had consistently "underestimated the pandemic".

University of Otago professor Michael Baker said it was time to act to ensure the virus doesn't take hold in the community.

"I don't want to wake up [and see] widespread community transmission."

The only way to stop that happening was to ramp up social distancing measures.

Schools across Europe and the United States had closed in a bid to stop the virus spreading.

On Monday, the Ministry of Education sent an e-newsletter to school leaders querying their ability to deliver lessons online should schools close. But a spokesperson told Stuff "at this time there are no plans to close schools".

"The decision to close a school rests with health authorities, primarily through the Medical Officers of Health."

Baker said New Zealand was in a prime position a the moment, with only eight confirmed cases in total, but time was running out.

"New Zealand needs to make a decision very soon about a maximal approach to social distancing and include all the options [that] need to be on the table and considered immediately."

The disruption such closures would cause was obvious, but these changes wouldn't be permanent.

"If we succeed with containment, at a point in the not very far distant future, we can revert back to a more relaxed approach.

"We just have to do things very differently now."