Making matters worse was the 18-year-old from Bendigo has had difficulty in securing flights home, leaving her stranded in the UK for the foreseeable future.

Ms Earl managed to move her December flights to March but would only be able to get as far as Dubai.

"My parents and I decided that I was to come home after (UK prime minister) Boris Johnson announced the closure of all schools in the UK," she said.

"It was quite easy to move my flight from December to March 24, only having to pay the difference in flight prices. However, once receiving notification from Emirates that my flights had been cancelled - I could have flown to Dubai but not onto Australia .

"We were unable to book new ones with any guarantee of arriving back in Australia and even then, the only airline saying it can fly to Australia is charging fares of $5000 or more one way and that's economy.

"At this stage I will stay here in the UK and help out around the school as much as I can. We feel now it is probably safer to stay in this remote part of south-west England."

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Despite the efforts of Emily and her family, they have been unable to secure Emily a passage home.

"The feeling I had when notification came that my flights got cancelled is something I never want to feel again," Emily said.

"That moment of panic thinking what do I do know, having to quickly call my parents to try and find other arrangements as well as talking to the school in terms of what will happen now for work, money, food and) accommodation.

"The school is very much family orientated and the fellow staff members have been incredibly supportive and have helped to make the situation a little bit easier to handle knowing that I'm not fully alone over here."

With the support of St John's School Emily is able to live in south-west England for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic.

Her usual job of helping out in classes and caring for the boarders at the school is now very reduced.

"As Boris Johnson has closed down schools, only the children of key workers come in as well as some staff," she said.

"it's just not the same - in a school you never see a dull moment... now all you hear is the faint laughter of the few children that still come in. It's not really what you want the feel of a school to be like.

"I'm lucky enough that at St John's there is access to sports equipment, swimming pool and sporting fields, all on campus so I am still able to remain active."

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Emily's musical talents are also being honed in the spare time she now has.

"I brought my bagpipes over and had been selected after an audition to perform in the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in August in the Pipers' Trail band," she said.

"We don't know if the Tattoo will be on or not but the music to learn arrived during the week."

In the past two weeks, Emily said the mood of the country has shifted dramatically as the UK government's announcement show how COVID-19 is effecting the country.

"When I have walked into the centre of town there is an eerie vibe, with only essential shops remaining open and not many people out and about," she said.

"Already I know a lot of people are eager for life to return back to normal; showing how much of a challenging time this is for everyone worldwide.

"Everyone now is trying their best to keep a positive outlook on everything and support those around them."

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