An elite private school in Melbourne's eastern suburbs will be the first in Victoria to shut its doors over the coronavirus outbreak as two New South Wales high schools remain closed.
Carey Baptist Grammar School in the inner-city suburb of Kew will be closed to staff and students on Tuesday after an adult member of its community developed symptoms consistent with COVID-19.
In an email sent to parents on Monday night, school principal Jonathan Walter said: "the health and safety of our community" was the number one priority.
"Carey has been in contact with both the Department of Health and the Department of Education to ensure we have the latest information and advice."
The person had been in direct contact with someone confirmed as having the coronavirus and is being tested, Mr Walter said.
Carey Grammar is the fourth Australian school that has been forced to close as a result of the growing COVID-19 crisis, with the three others located in NSW.
Two schools in Sydney will remain closed on Tuesday - St Patrick's Marist College in Dundas, near Parramatta, and Willoughby Girls High School on the North Shore - after three students across the two schools tested positive for the virus on Monday.
Meanwhile, Epping Boys' High School reopened on Monday after closing on Friday when a Year 11 student contracted the illness.
The Victorian closure comes as three new coronavirus cases were confirmed in the state, taking the total to 15 and prompting a special meeting of cabinet ministers.
Victoria's Deputy Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton. Source: AAP
Two of the most recent cases were returning from the United States while the third was from Iran, Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said.
Premier Daniel Andrews' security and emergency management cabinet committee will meet on Tuesday morning to discuss the state's coronavirus preparations.
More than 90 people have so far been tested positive for the coronavirus in Australia, the majority in NSW, and three people have died.
Across the world, the number of infections has surpassed 110,000 with more than 3,000 deaths.
Additional reporting: Maani Truu.
