A Plaistow primary school is to close for a day as a precaution against coronavirus.

Selwyn Primary School will be shut tomorrow (Friday, February 28) so that a thorough clean can take place after a pupil returned from a holiday in a part of Italy that has been affected by the virus.

A spokesman for the school said: 'We are aware a pupil from the school, who had visited an at-risk area of Italy during the half term break, had been sent back into class.

'The child displayed some signs of being unwell, and was sent home, with advice to be home-quarantined for 14 days.

'At this point we sent a letter to parents to keep them advised and remind them of the Public Health England and Department of Education guidance on when and how to seek further advice.

'We subsequently became aware of other children who had recently returned for Italy (although not from high risk areas).

'After much consideration we have now taken the decision to close the school on Friday to allow a deep clean, and will be reopening on Monday.'

A spokeswoman for Newham Council added: 'The council supports our family of schools, and recognise they often have to make difficult decisions.

'We would always encourage schools to stay open whenever possible, however we support them in taking decisions they consider to be in the best interests of their school and pupils.'

Sixteen people in the UK have been diagnosed as having Covid-19, a respiratory illness caused by the virus, with 7,690 people being tested for it.

In China, where the virus originated, 78,497 cases have been reported, including 2,744 deaths. Outside China, there have been 3,651, cases including 50 deaths.

For more information about coronavirus, including advice for people returning to the UK from Italy and other countries, visit gov.uk/coronavirus