Media playback is unsupported on your device
Schools are being told they do not need to close or send people home if there is a suspected case of coronavirus.
Guidance to be published by Public Health England says no restrictions are needed while tests are carried out.
If tests are positive, health protection teams will speak to the head teacher and action will be taken.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Office is “urgently considering all options” for Britons aboard a quarantined cruise ship.
The advice is due to be published on Monday, after some schools in Brighton told concerned parents they can choose to keep their children away from school as an authorised absence, even if a coronavirus case is only suspected.
PHE says that it will continue to advise people who have been in close contact with a confirmed case to self-isolate.
It is believed to have advised at least seven schools in Brighton, Hove and Eastbourne that a member of staff or pupil should stay at home for 14 days.
The Department of Health said on Sunday that 3,109 tests had been carried out in the UK so far, with nine positive results.
This is an increase of 117 tests on the 2,992 reported on Saturday.
Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents hospitals and other trusts, said “the system is under enormous pressure” but the NHS is “very used to dealing with emergencies of all kinds”.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “There are contingency plans if things got worse.”
Eight of those who contracted the virus have since been discharged from hospital after recording two negative tests for the strain known as Covid-19.
All 94 people who had been in quarantine at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral have also been released, NHS England said on Saturday.
They had been kept in isolation at the hospital after returning to the UK from Wuhan in China, the centre of the outbreak.
More than 100 people remain in isolation in Milton Keynes after being repatriated back to the UK on a later rescue flight.
Image copyright
PA Media
David Abel said he had little confidence the UK government would rescue him and his wife
The Foreign Office has said officials “sympathise” with Britons on board the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan, after they accused the government of “forgetting” about them while other countries brought their citizens home.
A spokesman said they had contacted all British passengers on board and were “urgently considering all options to guarantee the health and safety of those on board”.
Earlier, passenger David Abel called for the government to evacuate the British citizens on board and added: “It feels that we have been forgotten.”
Mr Abel’s call comes as it emerged passengers could be stuck in quarantine beyond the initial 19 February deadline.
So far, 355 of the 3,700 people on board the ship have tested positive for the virus.
A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: “We sympathise with all those caught up in this extremely difficult situation.
“We are urgently considering all options to guarantee the health and safety of the British people on board the Diamond Princess, in line with the latest advice from the chief medical officer and the World Health Organization, and are working closely with the Japanese authorities and our international partners.”
What are the symptoms of coronavirus and what can help stop its spread?
The main signs of infection are fever (high temperature) and a cough as well as shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.
Frequent handwashing with soap or gel, avoiding close contact with people who are ill and not touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands can help cut the risk of infection.
Catching coughs and sneezes in a tissue, binning it and washing your hands can minimise the risk of spreading disease.
Anyone experiencing symptoms, even if mild, after travelling from mainland China, Thailand, Japan, Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia or Macau, is advised to stay indoors and call the NHS 111 phone service.
What is the government doing?
The main focus is on rapidly identifying people with the disease and taking them to specialist hospitals for treatment in isolation.
They are then tracing anybody who has come into close contact with the patient to make sure they know the signs of the disease and what to do.
The coronavirus death toll in mainland China rose by 105 to 1,770, in figures announced early on Monday morning.
Chinese authorities also reported the number of new cases had increased slightly on the previous day’s figure after falling for three consecutive days.
A total of 2,048 new cases were reported across the country on Monday – 1,933 of which were from Hubei.
More than 70,500 people nationwide have already been infected by the virus.
Have you been affected by the issues in this story? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:
