PARENTS across Herefordshire have been left in the lurch as school shut their gates to most pupils due to the coronavirus outbreak.

While some parents have welcomed the move and have already taken their children out of school, others think it could put students at greater risk.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday schools in the UK would shut this evening (Friday), with private schools and nurseries asked to do the same.

READ MORE: All Herefordshire schools to close by Friday

The children of key workers will still be able to go to school, with the full list including job roles such as NHS staff and lorry drivers delivering supplies to supermarkets.

READ MORE: Key workers list confirmed

Jackie Vaux, the mother of two boys, said she will be able to cope with having her children at home. She is a mobile hairdresser who lives near Peterchurch and clients have been cancelling appointments.

Now she will have to look after her children as their schools, Peterchurch Primary and Fairfield, close to most children.

Live coronavirus updates for Herefordshire

"I'm a mobile hairdresser and 95 per cent of my customers have cancelled so I'm very lucky I'll be able to look after them," she said.

"It is one bad thing to have happened work-wise but I will be able to look after the boys, otherwise I will be struggling.

"My 13-year-old son has been set loads of work and he's actually started doing it now so he can get it over and done with, so he can treat the rest of the time as a holiday.

"I've been out today and bought supplies becuase I'm going to take it seriously, I'm going to make them a timetable and stick to it.

"I don't want them to miss out on their education, I might not be able to do the teaching, but I want to do the best I can for them."

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Despite sticking to a "strict timetable" with her two boys, Mrs Vaux fears some children could be put at greater risk if their parents don't realise the seriousness of the Covid-19 outbreak.

"I don't think it's the right decision, because I think there is a lot of people who don't realise how bad the situation actually is," she added.

"I think they will be taking their children to the supermarket, taking them places where they will be mixing with vulnerable people.

"If they were at school, they would all be in one place, I personally think it's the wrong decision to close schools.

"I wouldn't leave my children with my parents, my dad is 70, but there's going to be people who have to do that. There won't be any other way to get any other childcare and they will have to leave their children with their parents."

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Dad-of-three Aaron Muller has already taken his three children out of education before schools close this evening.

He and his wife have already prepared for their children, a five, 10 and 16-year-old, to work from home.

"We took the choice to do it a bit early because we don't want to put them at risk," said Mr Muller, who's a self-employed tattoo artist.

"The wife has already set up (for the children to learn at home), we went out and got workbooks and whiteboards so she can actually teach them.

"We're giving them an extra hour in bed, they're allowed to be up and ready by 10 o'clock but after that it's teaching time.

"Luckily the school will be handing out work but we're going to be quite strict because we don't want them to fall behind when they do go back to school."