More than 235,000 sign petition calling for Boris Johnson to send pupils home over coronavirus

More than 235,000 people are today calling on the government to close schools across the UK in amid coronavirus fears.

The petition, started by Sami Attout, urges Boris Johnson to shut down schools and colleges ‘in the coming weeks of as soon as possible’, to prevent the spread of Covid19.  

As the virus is declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organisation, hundreds of thousands of worried parents are now demanding MPs step up measures to allow them to take their children out of school. 

This comes as Durham University has announced it is cancelling all student field trips outside the UK due to the ongoing spread of coronavirus.    

The hashtag, ‘#closetheschools’ is trending on social media today as people across both the UK and America raise their fears about the spread of the virus in school buildings. 

The petition states: ‘We would like the government to at least consider closing schools/colleges down in the coming weeks or as soon as possible, in addition to taking necessary actions to prevent further spread. 

‘We would like the Government or Parliament to enforce this action due to the growing fear among parents and students that attend school. 

‘The ability to focus or concentrate is affected in addition to the growing fears of the Coronavirus. 

‘In our view, the government and health officials around the world are more ‘reactive’ rather than ‘proactive’. 

‘This will result in more spread as time is given for the virus to do so. We hope to come to an agreement as soon as possible in a timely manner.’

Durham university is also advising that students on placement in Italy should return home and that large scale conferences and events should be cancelled.

It announced a number of measures on Tuesday as the first case of coronavirus was confirmed in Darlington, bringing the total number of cases in the North East to seven.