Parents of all 1,271 pupils at Frome College have been sent a letter from the Department of Education about the coronavirus outbreak.

The letter, distributed today (Wednesday February 5) by the college, is directly from central government and contains advice from the department of health, being offered to all schools and colleges across the UK.

In it they are told not " to be unduly worried."

The full text of the letter sent this afternoon is as follows.

Dear Parent/carer,

You may be aware in recent press coverage that there is a confirmed Coronavirus outbreak originating in Wuhan China which has now spread to other areas globally.

A coronavirus is a type of virus and Novel coronavirus (2019-nCov) is a new strain of coronavirus first identified in Wuhan City, China. As a group, coronaviruses are common across the world. Typical symptoms of coronavirus include fever and a cough that may progress to a severe pneumonia causing shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.

Please be aware that generally, coronavirus can cause more severe symptoms in people with weakened immune systems, older people, and those with long-term conditions like diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease. If you or your child has a weakened immune

system it is important that you contact your local GP surgery to ensue you have an up to date flu jab.

You should not be unduly worried about the possibility of your children catching the Coronavirus and there is no reason why your children should not continue to attend their early years, school or further education setting as normal.

The overall risk of Coronavirus to the UK remains moderate. However, we understand that people may be concerned where there are children, students or staff returning from or visiting China. We also recognise that some families or children may be planning to travel to China during the forthcoming half term period and would direct you to the link below for

advice.

https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus.