From today, 20th march, 2020, schools across the UK will closed until further notice.
The UK death toll has now increased to 144, with more than 200,000 officially confirmed cases of coronavirus around the world.
New emergency laws will see pubs, shops, airports and train stations forced to shut.
People could be fined £1,000 for refusing a test in sweeping new coronavirus laws.
Tory ministers plan to give themselves vast powers over almost every aspect of public life in order to curb the spread of the Covid-19 outbreak.
It comes after the drastic plans to close schools and the decision to cancel this spring and summer’s exams.
Teachers have been at the forefront of the concerns of both their pupils and parents as they try to reassure students.
One secondary teacher, whose husband also works in education, said the ongoing coronavirus crisis had been “scary and tiring”.
Before Boris announced the drastic measures that will see all schools closed until further notice, she admitted one of the biggest frustrations for those working in education was being unable to give much-needed answers to pupils and their own families.
But she stressed that teachers and school staff had never lost focus.
She explained: “As soon as I walk through the school doors, the children are the same wonderful kids you see every day – but there were pockets of anxiety.”
And while the secondary teacher insisted she didn’t blame the government for the lack of clarity as to measures being introduced while the crisis deepens, she did admit this had created extra challenges in the classroom as everyone was desperate for answers.
And while she admitted she had heard the news of the school closures with a “sense of relief” there was also horror at the decision to scrap this summer’s exams.
She said: “We finally had something to say to the children but I’m so upset for my Year 11 pupils.
“I thought the exams would be postponed, I didn’t think they would be cancelled.
“The pupils have become like my own children , so to have their exams cancelled is absolutely heartbreaking.”
Now, the hard work really begins for those who work in the classroom as they start educating the country’s young people remotely.
Online lessons, apps and work set over the internet will all be key in the coming weeks or months.
The teacher said: ‘We’ll just be taking it one day at a time and this is why the internet and social media will be a real power for good.”
But as a parent herself, she admits the future is a worrying and uncertain place.
“My head is comepltely pounding. I will have my own children at home but I know I’ll always have one eye on the ball for my pupils from the classroom.
“I know my children will be in safe hands with me but everyone’s journey will look and feel very different and it’s how we balance that out.”
However, there is one big fear that the school closures, which could be long-term, could create huge divisions between pupils.
There are already plans in place that every pupil eligible for a free school meals would be able to access meals going forward.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said the Government will put in place a national voucher system for children eligible for free school meals.
It is understood the vouchers will have a monetary value and families will be able to choose how to spend it.
But the teacher said access to food was not the only concern.
