A primary school in Flanders has decided to close down after a pupil showed suspected Covid-19 symptoms while attending school.
The Ursulines school in Mechelen will shut down for prevention on both Tuesday and Wednesday, in a move that comes on the same week that on-site classes restarted across Belgium.
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The school said the decision to close came after a pupil began showing symptoms that "strongly indicated" infection with the new coronavirus (Covid-19).
In an online statement to parents, the school said that the pupil had been dropped off for daycare services at the school both this week and last week.
Children from the child's family had received reduced contact (social-distancing) training in recent days, meaning there was a risk of potential "mixing of social bubbles."
The child is set to be tested for the virus on Tuesday, with the school saying that the closure was in line with the recommendations for risk management.
"Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 19 or at the latest Wednesday, May 20, we will know definitively whether the test is positive or negative," the school wrote.
"If the test is negative, we can restart both emergency care and school on Monday 25 May 2020. If the test is positive, the contact tracing will be initiated."
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
