Thousands from Leeds sign petition to close schools amid coronavirus outbreak

A total of 590 cases have been confirmed in England as of 9am on Thursday, with two more people diagnosed with the virus in Leeds.

A petition has been launched urging the government to consider closing schools across the country in the coming weeks.

More than 5,000 people in Leeds have signed the petition, which has reached 380,000 signatures overall.

The petition says: "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."

Schools, colleges and childcare facilities in Ireland are to close for two weeks due to the coronavirus outbreak.

However, Boris Johnson has said that no such action will be taken in the UK.

Speaking after an emergency Cobra meeting, the Prime Minister said: "We are not, repeat not, closing schools now.

"The scientific advice is that this could do more harm than good at this time but of course we are keeping this under review and this again may change as the disease spreads."