A PRIMARY school has confirmed one of its pupils has been diagnosed with coronavirus.

Chase Lane Primary School, in Dovercourt, has informed parents about the pupil contracting the potentially deadly virus.

The school has vowed to be extremely vigilant, but said it does not have plans to close at this time.

A spokesman for the school said: “We know that this will be worrying news, but want to reassure parents that we are working with Essex Local Authority to take necessary action to ensure the welfare of our pupils, staff and their families.

“The pupil was absent from school during the latter half of last week and the classroom, as with all classrooms has been thoroughly cleaned.

“The risk of contamination is very low.

“We will continue to be extremely vigilant but at present, we have no plans to close the school.

“We will update parents immediately if we are advised to close the school by the Local Authority or the Department for Education. “ Julie O’Mara, headteacher, said the school receives daily alerts from the Department for Education.

She said: “The advice we have been given is to thoroughly clean our hands.”

Only one child from the school has been confirmed to have the virus so far.