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Royal family's coronavirus scare as London school sends home students

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - SEPTEMBER 5: Princess Charlotte arrives for her first day of school, with her brother Prince George and her parents the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, at Thomas's Battersea in London on September 5, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Aaron Chown - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Princess Charlotte arrives for her first day of school. Photo: Getty

The global threat of the coronavirus outbreak has reached the royal family in the UK, with reports Prince George and Charlotte’s school has sent home students over fears they have contracted the deadly virus.

Days after a World Health Organisation advisor said the deadly coronavirus outbreak is “rapidly becoming” the world’s first pandemic, four pupils at Thomas’s Battersea in London have been sent home to remain in isolation.

They will stay in quarantine until the results of coronavirus testing provide more clarity, a school spokesperson has confirmed.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - SEPTEMBER 5: Princess Charlotte arrives for her first day of school at Thomas's Battersea in London, with her brother Prince George and her parents the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on September 5, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Aaron Chown - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Four students from George and Charlotte's school have been put on lockdown. Photo: Getty

“Like all schools, we are taking very seriously the potential risks related to the spread of Covid-19 and to this end we are following the Government’s instructions to the letter on infection prevention and case management in which it is suspected that some staff member or students exposed to the virus or showing any symptoms,” a spokesperson for St Thomas’s Battersea told the UK’s Daily Express.

The spokesperson confirmed there were a ‘very small number’ of students that had been evaluated and would remain in their homes until the results were received.

“All parents have been informed and we have maintained regular communication with our school community to ensure that councils are shared and important information circulated,” the statement continued.

“Of course, we will preserve the confidentiality of staff and students, and we will not comment on specific cases.”

The Duke and Dutches of Cambridge have decided to the their son Prince George to Thomas's Battersea Lonon Day School. March 28th 2017. Prince George will enroll as a pupil at private Thomass School in Battersea, south London, this September 2017. March 28th 2017 (Photo by Karyn Louise/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Princess Charlotte started at the school last year. Photo: Getty

There have been 22 confirmed cases across the Australia, with more than 2600 deaths confirmed globally.

There are now over 80,000 confirmed global cases – 77,658 of those in mainland China.

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