Will schools in England close due to coronavirus?

SCHOOLS are set to shut in Wales and Scotland and England and Northern Ireland are expected to follow suit.

Some have already shut their doors because of this and after Covid-19 was confirmed among staff and pupils

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Will UK schools close because of coronavirus? 

Schools in Scotland and Wales will close in response to the coronavirus pandemic, with those in England widely expected to follow suit.

The Welsh Government said all schools will close for an early Easter break by Friday at the latest.

This move came just minutes before First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced schools in Scotland will also close by the end of the week.

It comes after Boris Johnson told MPs during Prime Minister's Questions that further decisions on schools are "to be taken imminently".

The Government has so far resisted calls to close schools due to the fact NHS workers are among those who may need to stay home and look after their children.

But head teachers have warned they are so short-staffed due to Covid-19 that they are struggling to stay open.

Why have some schools closed already?

Some schools were struggling to stay open today, with some forced to partially or fully close as staff and students stayed at home after falling ill with the virus.

Pregnant staff are also off work after the Government advised expecting mums to stay inside their homes.

Others are offering to look after the children of parents who work in key public services like health or social care.

Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders union, said head teachers were saying they were struggling to keep their institutions open beyond Friday.

He told the BBC: "Some very seasoned head teachers have been calling me to say they will not be able to manage much longer.

"One said he had 17 members of staff call in sick. And I think this will be replicated around the country."

Why are some parents taking their kids out of school already? 

Some angry parents are refusing to send their children to school and are complaining that other countries were doing more to stop the spread of coronavirus.

On Parliament's website, a petition calling on the government to shut schools and colleges had attracted more than 671,000 signatures.

Which other countries have closed schools?

School is out for millions of kids worldwide.

This includes:

• Albania
• Algeria
• Azerbaijan
• Bahrain
• Belgium
• Bolivia
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• China (including Hong Kong and Macao)
• Czech Republic
• El Salvador
• France
• Georgia
• Greece
• Iran
• Iraq
• Ireland
• Israel
• Italy
• Japan
• Kuwait
• Lebanon
• Moldova
• Mongolia
• North Korea
• North Macedonia
• Panama
• Paraguay
• Qatar
• Russia
• Saudi Arabia
• South Africa
• South Korea
• United Arab Emirates
• United States

What has the government said about school closures?

Official states that if a pupil or member of staff is confirmed as having coronavirus, anyone who has been "in close face-to-face or touching contact" should self-isolate for 14 days.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that the "goal was to keep schools open".

He told MPs: "If anyone has been in contact with a suspected case in a childcare or an educational setting, no special measures are required while test results are awaited.

"There is no need to close the school or send other students or staff home.";