Four pupils at Thomas’s, Battersea in south-west London have reportedly been sent home and are awaiting test results for Covid-19.

Two of the children are said to have developed flu-like symptoms after returning from a school trip to Italy, where the death toll from the virus hit 12 yesterday.

Cases across the country have reached 378, among them five children aged between four and 15.

Twelve towns in northern Italy have been locked down entirely, with road blocks preventing people from leaving.

A spokesperson for St Thomas’s Battersea told London Loves Business: ‘Like all schools, we are taking very seriously the potential risks related to the spread of Covid-19 and to this end we are following the government’s instructions to the letter on infection prevention and case management in which it is suspected that some staff member or students exposed to the virus or showing any symptoms.

‘We currently have a very small number of students who have been evaluated and these individuals currently, according to the government Council, remain in their homes waiting to receive the results of their exams.

‘All parents have been informed and we have maintained regular communication with our school community to ensure that councils are shared and important information circulated. Of course, we will preserve the confidentiality of staff and students, and we will not comment on specific cases.’

It comes as dozens of schools across the UK take drastic action to protect students against Covid-19, as the outbreak continues to spread across Europe.

Some have closed while others have sent pupils home for fear they may have been exposed during ski trips to northern Italy.

Public Health England (PHE) says it is not advising schools to shut to stem the spread of the virus.

Three London firms were also forced to send employees home today as staff tested for the virus.

London energy firm Chevron asked about 300 employees to work remotely for the foreseeable future after a member of staff reported flu symptoms on their return from a country infected by the deadly bug.

Crossrail, which shares the same building as Chevron, has now asked employees to stay away, according to the BBC.

Staff at OMD UK, a media agency based in Fitzrovia, central London, were also ‘immediately’ sent home as a ‘precautionary measure’ on Wednesday after an employee who had recently returned from Australia and Singapore began showing flu-like symptoms.

Meanwhile, a hotel in Tenerife has been hit by a further three cases of coronavirus, following confirmation yesterday that a doctor had contracted the disease.

Iraq on Wednesday banned public gatherings and barred entry by travellers from Kuwait and Bahrain, prohibiting travel to or from a total of nine countries.

Health Minister Jaafar Allawi said in a decree that Iraqi citizens were now not allowed to travel to China, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Italy, Bahrain, and Kuwait.

Buckingham Palace could not immediately be reached for comment.