Your child's school may not tell you if it has a confirmed case of potentially deadly coronavirus, a letter has suggested.
Liverpool City Council sent a letter to headteachers saying schools will not inform parents or guardians of "suspected or confirmed cases of coronavirus" unless they are told to do so by health officials.
One furious parent told Mirror Online: "It is just absolutely disgusting. It's basically saying, 'we don't have to tell the parents anything'."
It comes as hundreds of thousand of parents and teachers condemned the Government's Covid-19 advice and called for it to immediately close schools to prevent the spread of the flu-like illness, which has killed at least 55 people in Britain.
The National Education Union has written to Boris Johnson demanding schools are closed "at least for some time and at least in some areas".
Have you been affected by coronavirus? Email webnews@mirror.co.uk.
Many parents have decided to keep their children at home and risk a fine, teachers have expressed fears that classrooms could help to fuel the spread of the virus and pupils on social media are planning a #Covid19walkout to protect the guidelines.
As of Tuesday morning, more than 635,000 people have signed a petition urging the Prime Minister to "close Schools/Colleges down for an appropriate amount of time" during the pandemic.
Mr Johnson has urged Britons to avoid pubs, restaurants, large gatherings and non-essential travel, but so far has refused to follow the lead of countries such as Ireland, Italy, Spain and France and close schools.
It is estimated that four in ten parents are ignoring Government advice and keeping their children home due to their coronavirus fears.
Many teachers have told on social media how they suffer from pre-existing conditions that make them extremely vulnerable to Covid-19, yet they feel forced to go to work due to the Government's position.
Teachers have also revealed that they are preparing home learning packs to prepare for a blanket closure.
Meanwhile, Steve Reddy, Liverpool's director of children and young people's service, wrote to headteachers to say schools will not inform the parent community of suspected or confirmed cases unless they are instructed to do so by Public Health England.
As a copy of the letter circulated on social media, parents feared they would be left in the dark if a pupil or staff member at their child' school tested positive.
One parent, who has two children enrolled in Liverpool schools, said: "I was just absolutely disgusted when I read it. They should be telling us about suspected or confirmed cases. Schools should be closed."
It is understood that Public Health England has not told local authorities specifically on how schools communicate with their communities about cases.
A Liverpool City Council spokesman said: “We appreciate that this is a really concerning time for everyone and the letter we have issued to schools is based upon the very latest national guidance from public health experts and applies to educational settings across the country.
"Schools remain open as normal, in line with the national guidance.
"The advice from Government is that if anyone in a household shows coronavirus symptoms - a continuous cough and/or a high temperature – all of the people who live there need to self-isolate for 14 days and not attend school or work.”
A Public Health England spokeswoman said: “PHE is working closely with schools and via the LA [Local Authority] ensuring they have the most up to date guidance.
"Currently the advice is that schools do not need to close unless directly advised by the local Health Protection Team within PHE.
"As part of the Covid-19 response, PHE is continuing to investigate outbreaks, ie where several cases are connected, especially in a particular setting such as schools.
"If a case is notified to PHE that needs public health action, we will work with the Local Authority and the school involved as needed and depending on the situation."
Katharine Birbalsingh, headmistress of Michaela Community School in Wembley, north-west London, was among the educational leaders to hit out at Mr Johnson's policy for being inconsistent.
She tweeted: "Non-essential contact for everyone except for teachers who should congregate with several hundred or even thousands daily?
"I’m no virologist but how do I make sense of this to staff? Also, dozens/hundreds of parents are too scared to send kids in to school!"
She added: "Hang out all day with several hundred people in corridors a metre and a half wide, but then whatever you do, don’t meet a friend for coffee after work as that would be irresponsible.
"Makes no sense."
What is the Government's advice?
New guidance was issued on Monday as the outbreak worsened.
Children and staff should stay home if they are unwell with a fever or new, continuous cough .
Schools should send home pupils who have those symptoms.
Schools remain open and pupils and staff who do not have any symptoms should continue to attend as normal.
Public Health England has said that, in most cases, school closures will not be necessary.
Some schools have closed for a deep clean after positive cases, while others have been forced to shut because so many staff are self-isolating.
