James Sheahan Catholic High School and Kinross Wolaroi School were in contact with families who had travelled to China in the last 14 days and had advised them to keep pupils at home for a fortnight.

The warning came after a sharp escalation in the severity of the outbreak, with 132 confirmed dead in China on Friday and the seventh confirmed case of the virus in Australia on Wednesday.

James Sheahan principal Peter Meers said while the school had been proactive in its response, he did not believe there was any reason for parents to be concerned.

"I think both state and federal government are acting quickly and providing information to schools," he said.

"Our recommendations are in line with the health department's recommended response of being active by identifying any threat early on."

None of the schools contacted in Orange suggested any student had displayed symptoms of the coronavirus.

Kinross engagement officer Jennifer Divall said the school had provided three students with school work to complete from home this week and next, to prevent them from falling behind.

"School is progressing as normal at the moment," she said.

"We're currently working on a plan for any change to the situation. The school will continue to monitor this situation closely."

Orange Anglican Grammar School Reverend Louis Stringer had issued similar advice to parents this week, circulating the Department of Health Information Sheets, in consultation with the Department of Education, the Ministry of Health and the Association of Independent Schools NSW.

A spokesperson for Orange Anglican Grammar said they had canvassed staff and students at the school and found no one to be at risk.

"We will continue to monitor and follow the NSW Government coronavirus measures," the spokesperson said.

The NSW Department of Education also recommended all Orange public schools students who had been to China over the past 14 days not to return to school or child care services this week, as the coronavirus' incubation period can be as long as two weeks.

"The school should report any suspected or confirmed cases of novel coronavirus to the local public health unit," a department spokesperson said.

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