West Lothian school ski-ing trip cut short because of coronavirus fears

The ski-ing party left from St Margaret's Academy in Livingston on Sunday

A SCHOOL ski-ing trip to Italy from St Margaret's Academy in Livingston is being cut short because of the coronavirus.

A party of 30 pupils from the West Lothian school set off on Sunday along with three PE teachers and a ski instructor for the seven-day holiday and were due to return this Sunday.

But as the number of coronavirus cases in Italy mount, it was decided the group should head home tomorrow as a precaution.

West Lothian Council said the party - including pupils from a range of year groups - were not in an area where cases of the virus had been reported and none of them were feeling unwell, so there was no need for any quarantining or testing when they returned.

The group is in the Aosta Valley in the Western Alps, close to the French and Swiss borders. They are travelling by bus and are trying to arrange a ferry back the the UK as soon as possible. It is thought they are likely to arrive back in Livingston in the early hours of Friday, two days earlier than planned.

Italy has seen more than 370 cases of coronavirus and 12 deaths in the past few days. Most cases are concentrated in the Lombardy region around Milan.

A West Lothian Council spokesman said: “A group from St Margaret’s Academy is currently in Northern Italy on a ski trip but the group has not stayed in or travelled through any of the affected areas.

“As a precautionary measure given the level of public interest in this matter the school has decided to return the group a few days earlier than planned. It is important to stress that no members of the group have reported any symptoms of being unwell and we’d emphasise that this is purely a precautionary measure.

“The school has closely followed the national guidance regarding foreign travel and when the group departed there was no guidance provided advising not to travel to their destination.

“We will continue to follow and act upon advice from Heath Protection Scotland in relation to persons that are returning from Northern Italy.”