UK schools remain open as coronavirus infections rise every day and health officials warn that the worst of the pandemic is still to come.
The Government has resisted pressure to close schools, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisting that it "could do more harm than good", but conceding that its position may change.
Amid blanket closures in European nations such as Ireland, Spain and France, many UK parents have expressed fears that their children could catch Covid-19 in the classroom or that they could be fined for keeping their kids at home.
Children who develop a continuous cough or fever at school should be sent home with suspected coronavirus, new guidance states.
An online petition calling for parents to avoid prosecution if they pull their children out school due to coronavirus fears has more than 60,000 signatures - but where does the Government stand on the issue?
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Will parents be punished if they remove their child or children from school because they don't feel comfortable sending them during the worst health crisis for a century?
They could be. The decision rests with the headteacher.
If a student is feeling unwell or self-isolating, the absence will be marked as authorised, according to the Government.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “The current advice from Public Health England is that schools should remain open unless advised otherwise.
“It is for headteachers to decide whether an individual absence is authorised, but where schools are open and pupils are not unwell and have not been asked to self-isolate by PHE, we would expect them to attend school as normal.”
Children who develop a continuous cough or fever at school should be sent home with suspected coronavirus, new guidance states.
Updated information from the Government says all educational settings should remain open unless directly advised to close by Public Health England (PHE).
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson was due to hold crisis talks with school heads and teachers' unions.
It comes after teachers questioned why the Government is not closing schools in the same way as other countries.
Published on Monday, new guidance suggests any pupil or staff member with a new, continuous cough or a high temperature should stay home to avoid infecting others.
According to NHS England, a high temperature is generally considered to be 38C or over.
Countries that have fewer infections and deaths have closed their schools.
More than half a billion children and youth are unable to go to school because of coronavirus, the UN education agency has said.
British pupils on social media have vowed to stage a walkout on Friday, as the Twitter hashtag #Covid19Walkout trended.
Councils have told parents that if their children are feeling well they should follow Government advice and attend school.
Polly Kerr, a senior associate with Tees Law in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, said parents should check with their school before keeping their children at home.
She wrote in the Bishop's Stortford Independent: "If you are considering keeping your child at home as a result of your concerns about coronavirus, I strongly advise that you speak with your child’s school before making any decision to do so because, if the school is not closed and public health guidance is being followed, you may find yourself on the wrong side of the law.
"If your concerns about your child are particularly focused around underlying health conditions, be sure to highlight this to the school when you speak with them."
The petition, meanwhile, is titled "No prosecution for parents that remove child from school during a pandemic".
It reads: "Legislate to allow parents to have the option to remove their children from school if there is a pandemic e.g. Coronavirus or similar without negative action by schools or local authorities.
"They shouldn’t lose the child’s place in the school or face any kind of prosecution."
The Government must respond to the petition because it has more than 10,000 signatures.
Parliament must consider it for a debate if and when it hits the 100,000 mark.
There have been separate calls for this year’s GCSE and A-level exams to be postponed to 2021.
While there are no blanket closures, some schools have closed temporarily due to concerns or to be deep cleaned after pupils, staff or parents tested positive for the flu-like illness.
One of the latest was Fortismere School in Muswell Hill, north London, after a staff member caught the virus.
Hateley Heath Primary School in West Bromwich after its business manager was diagnosed with Covid-19.
In Aberdeen, Hazlehead Academy was shut for "precautionary cleaning" .
Dean Maguirc College in Carrickmore, Northern Ireland, is closed until at least March 30 "to curtail the spread" of the disease.
Belfast has shut its 10 special schools due to coronavirus fears.
Speaking on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Dr Hilary Jones said schools should shut once virus hotspots are identified.
However, it is difficult to identify hotspots when the Government refuses to test everyone with symptoms, he added.
