A secondary school has closed for the rest of the week for a deep clean after a 'suspected' coronavirus/ covid-19 case was announced.

Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa College, on Roding Lane in Chigwell, confirmed the news after an sent an email to parents and guardians on Monday, March 2.

The decision was made the same say when Essex County Council confirmed that the first Essex covid-19 patient was identified at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow last weekend.

The email issued by the school said: "Due to a suspected case of coronavirus, we have decided to deep clean the school while we are waiting for the result of the case.

"To do this we will need to close the school, at least for the rest of the week.

"A further update will be provided on Friday.

"All trips this week have been cancelled/postponed."