THREE cops have been quarantined after a woman feared to have coronavirus fell ill in custody. The woman, said to be a non-UK national, was arrested yesterday and become unwell this morning in Stoke-on-Trent. She was arrested in Burton and has been tested for the killer bug – with worried cops being sent home from […]
THREE cops have been quarantined after a woman feared to have coronavirus fell ill in custody.
The woman, said to be a non-UK national, was arrested yesterday and become unwell this morning in Stoke-on-Trent.
She was arrested in Burton and has been tested for the killer bug – with worried cops being sent home from the Northern Area Custody Facility.
A source told StokeonTrentLive: “A Chinese woman was taken to custody at Etruria this morning and was believed to have been suffering with coronavirus.
“Custody staff and police officers were sent home. The custody facility was on lockdown for about an hour before it reopened. They are now taking prisoners as normal.”
A Staffordshire Police spokeswoman said: “Three members of Staffordshire Police are staying at home as a precautionary measure after reports that a woman who had been detained in custody was unwell.
“The woman, who is a non-UK national, was arrested in Burton and taken to Northern Area Custody in Stoke-on-Trent.
“Tests have taken place but health officials believe it is ‘highly unlikely’ the woman has Covid-19 (coronavirus).
“The results of the tests will be known later this week and in the meantime the two police constables and a PCSO are staying at home as a precautionary measure in accordance with NHS guidelines.”
It comes as more than 2,000 people have died from the virus worldwide, with 72,200 cases reported.
The UK has seen 5,216 tests carried out, with nine people confirmed positive as of 2pm today.
In China, the majority of deaths have been in the central province of Hubei.
There has been one death in Europe from the virus – an 80-year-old Chinese tourist in Paris.
So far 12 GP surgeries have been closed in the UK due to fears of contamination. Surgeries in Islington, Surrey, Somerset, Brighton, Berkshire, Sussex and Northamptonshire have all been decontaminated in the past month.
Nine patients have been diagnosed in this country but only one, a Chinese woman who took an Uber to A&E in Lewisham, is still in hospital.
Leading scientists and health authorities have said that they expect more cases to come up in the coming weeks.
The latest figures show the coronavirus is roughly 20 times deadlier than seasonal flu.
More to follow…
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