Sydney mum Jenny Yi has welcomed a decision to hold children recently returned from China back from school as her son returns to classes amid growing anxiety over the coronavirus outbreak.
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Parents in NSW have been asked to keep their children at home for a fortnight if they have recently travelled to China.
The decision was made after some schools approached the state government with concerns about allowing potentially-exposed children to return to class.
Ms Yi, the president of Denistone East Public School Parents and Citizens Association, says many parents from the school were keeping their children at home.
"It's good news and will help (keep) parents from over-reacting," she told AAP.
"Public schools can't do anything unless the department tells them ... and as anyone who has worked with them before knows they're not fast."
She said she was concerned but not panicked on Wednesday when she took her nine-year-old son to school.
"Myself, I'm not really a hands-on, helicopter parent so I haven't reacted much," she said.
But she admits to limiting contact with the public and reinforcing her son's hygiene skills.
The official number of Australian cases rose to six on Wednesday with a second case confirmed in Victoria, and four cases in NSW.
The reports had heightened tension among Denistone East's parents, Ms Yi said, but it wasn't restricted to one sector in the community.
"Everyone is different, it doesn't matter if you're Chinese or from other communities, some people will panic or over-react and some are calm ... we're not a homogenous group," Ms Yi said.
"But I understand everyone is feeling the increase in tension."
Despite her concerns, Ms Yi still has faith people will act to protect themselves and their children, stopping the virus from spreading.
"There will always be people who don't do the right thing but I trust most parents will act to protect their family," she said.
Ms Yi thinks the federal government's response to the outbreak has been too slow.
"They needed to be pro-active rather than reactive," she told AAP.
Action should have been taken as soon as the first cases in Wuhan were reported, she said.
China has confirmed 132 deaths and more than 6000 infections so far in the outbreak.
Australian Associated Press