A SCHOOL in Malvern is calling on the local community to show support to overseas students who may be worried their families could be affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

A Malvern St James spokesman said: “We have a number of pupils who are concerned about their families in affected areas and we are asking the whole community to help us support them. None of them have travelled internationally in the last 14 days and so are no more likely to be carrying the virus than anyone else."

The spokesman added parents had been advised their daughters should not travel to infected areas during half term unless absolutely necessary. If pupils do travel, they will have to observe a 14 day quarantine period once they are back in the UK before returning to school.

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Elsewhere in Malvern, Abbey College principal Malcolm Wood said the school was prepared to accommodate any overseas students from UK schools who wished to avoid travelling to China during the Easter holidays.

He said: “We only have two students from China. Neither of them is from the worst-affected areas and they do not believe that their families or people they know have been affected. At this stage, I do not think either of them will be returning to China until at least the summer, by which time the coronavirus outbreak in China should hopefully be under control."

Malvern College said it was following the advice of the World Health Organisation, Public Health England, the NHS)and the Boarding Schools Association.