A POSITIVE case of coronavirus has been confirmed at Halesowen College.

The college said today (Sunday) that a "member of its community" in its nursery has tested positive for the virus.

It has put out a statement on Facebook which says: "As an increasing number of cases are confirmed in the UK the College has had a member of our community test positive.

"We have reported this to Public Health England and have again followed their advice to maintain safety for staff and students.

"The Nursery is the area of the college that is affected and, as a consequence, is being deep cleaned.

"Should you be concerned about your health please refer to our website and the gov.uk website for additional information. Contact NHS 111 only when appropriate.

"Should students wish to study at home it will not impact on their attendance at this time."

Despite the news the college does not intend to close. 

The nursery will be closed all week (Mon March 16- Fri March 20) for a deep clean.

The college issued a further statement which read: "We appreciate that there are a number of concerns following our previous post, regarding a positive test for coronavirus in our College community.

"We would like to reassure you that we are closely following advice provided by Public Health England and that, at this time, we are taking the most appropriate course of action.

"Understandably, many of you will still have concerns, particularly if you or your loved ones are in an at-risk group.

"We would therefore suggest that, students who wish to, can study from home for the next week. This will not impact attendance, but you must notify your personal coach immediately to let them know that this is your intention.

"If you do not know your personal coach’s email, please contact absence@halesowen.ac.uk. Alternatively, you can report your absence on STaRS. Where possible, your personal coach will contact you to offer advice and suggestions for study during the week.

"This is our advice at this stage, but we are constantly monitoring the situation and will update our website and College Facebook page should this change.

"PLEASE DO NOT CALL THE COLLEGE SWITCHBOARD NUMBER TO NOTIFY US OF YOUR INTENDED ABSENCE."

While the nursery, which is rated 'Good' by Ofsted, was set up primarily to meet the childcare needs of staff and students, it has also proved popular with the general public.

It offers nine places for children aged nought to two and 29 places for children aged two to five.