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Coronavirus: St John Fisher school in Chatham partially re-opens after deep clean

11:29, 11 March 2020

updated: 11:48, 11 March 2020

Part of a school has re-opened this morning after a deep clean.

Both sites of St John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive School in Chatham were closed this week after a Year 8 pupil tested positive for coronavirus.

St John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive School, Ordnance Street, Chatham, has re-opened
St John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive School, Ordnance Street, Chatham, has re-opened

The school’s upper site in Ordnance Street, which houses Year 9-13 pupils, reopened this morning.

The lower site in Maidstone Road will remain closed until Monday “due to staffing levels”.

The affected youngster is linked to a second person in Medway to have the illness.

Both are connected to Kent’s original patient – a worker at Maidstone Studios who also has a link to Faversham.

This person is believed to have recently returned from a trip to Italy before falling ill.

The youngster tested positive for coronavirus
The youngster tested positive for coronavirus

It is not known how long the pupil was at the school for before testing positive, but the Messenger understands it wasn’t for an extended period and the risk to other children was minimal.

Pupils arrived as normal this morning, and were greeted at the gates by some staff.

On Monday morning, workers from the council’s contractor Medway Norse were spotted arriving at the school to begin the cleaning of all surfaces.

The work is said to be purely precaution as it is likely the virus can only survive outside the body for hours rather than days.

A GP surgery at a shopping centre also closed for deep cleaning is due to re-open this afternoon.

The blocked off entrance to DMC Healthcare inside Boots at the Pentagon shopping centre, Chatham
The blocked off entrance to DMC Healthcare inside Boots at the Pentagon shopping centre, Chatham

The DMC clinic inside the Boots store in the Pentagon in Chatham was evacuated and cordoned off on Monday morning.

This was after a patient reportedly arrived displaying symptoms of coronavirus.

It is not known at this stage what happened to this person.

The surgery is based within the Boots store, which saw part of its rear area cordoned off temporarily.

For the latest coronavirus news and advice, click here.

Read more: All the latest news from Medway

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