Both pupils and staff from a Hitchin school are taking “precautionary” measures to self-isolate after they returned from a school trip to Italy yesterday.

The Comet: The Priory School, Hitchin shared this message on their website this morning. Picture: The Priory SchoolThe Priory School, Hitchin shared this message on their website this morning. Picture: The Priory School (Image: Archant)

The Priory School, in Hitchin spent four days in Sorrento in the south of Italy before returning to the UK yesterday evening.

Following the increase in cases of COVID-19 in Italy and the country-wide quarantine measures implemented by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Monday, the school has now insisted that pupils and staff self-isolate for 14 days, regardless of whether they are displaying coronavirus symptoms.

A spokesperson for the school said: 'Yesterday evening our students and staff returned home safely from their trip to Sorrento in southern Italy as planned.

'As a precautionary measure and in line with the government advice updated late last night, both students and staff are self-isolating even if they do not have 'flu-like symptoms'. During this time we will be providing online learning resources to ensure our students are not missing out on study time.

'We will continue to monitor the situation and are working with Hertfordshire County Council and Public Health England to ensure we are following the best and most recent advice to safeguard our students and staff.'