Laois school undecided about trip to Northern Italy #coronavirus

A Laois secondary school is yet to make a decision on whether to send 100 students to Northern Italy next week. 

The ski trip by St Mary's CBS in Portlaoise is due to leave next Friday March 13.

As of this Friday March 6 the school has not made an announcement on whether the trip is cancelled.

They would be staying in Artesina which has not been placed into isolation over the coronavirus COVID-19.

However they would be flying into an airport in Milan which is in Lombardy, one of the four regions to which the Irish Department of Health is advising against non-essential travel.

Last Tuesday March 3 the school held a meeting with the parents of the students, but no decision was made since on whether it is cancelled.

Last week the principal Maura Murphy told the Leinster Express that they were "keeping a very close eye" on the situation.

"The students have been saving and paying off their trip for the last year and a half. All the insurance is done through the travel agent, but nobody gets compensation unless the Department of Health names the area as a no go zone," she had said.

Heywood Community School cancelled a trip for 16 students to Florence last week. Mountmellick Community School is awaiting further updates on the situation for their trip to Italy which is not due to happen until April 23.

Another Laois school announced last Wednesday that their trip was cancelled. Read that story here. 

Italy now has 3,858 cases of COVID-19, and 148 deaths. The first case in the Vatican was reported this Friday March 6.