Three police officers in Stoke-on-Trent are quarantined over coronavirus fears after a female ‘Chinese’ prisoner fell ill in custody after being arrested
- The woman, believed to be a Chinese national, was arrested in Burton yesterday
- She was transferred to the Northern Area Custody facility and fell ill this morning
- All staff were sent home and the woman has been tested for coronavirus
- Self-quarantine is used to keep contagious people at home away from the public
Three police officers have been ordered to self-quarantine after a woman fell ill in custody with suspected coronavirus.
The woman, a Chinese national, was arrested in Burton yesterday and taken to the Northern Area Custody facility in Stoke-on-Trent, reports StokeonTrentLive.
Two police officers and a PCSO who dealt with her at the centre were sent home after she fell ill this morning.
The whole building was put on lockdown for around an hour earlier today, with custody staff and police officers told to go home.
The female prisoner has been tested for the virus, with results due back later this week.
More than 73,000 people have been infected with the coronavirus in China and travellers have spread the illness to at least 26 other countries worldwide.
The Stoke-on-Trent scare comes after Brighton and parts of London have been on red alert in the past fortnight – infected patients have inadvertently defied official advice and visited public doctors’ surgeries and hospitals, taken taxis and one even went to a yoga class and a pub before realising he was ill.
The woman, a Chinese national, was arrested in Burton yesterday and taken to the Northern Area Custody facility in Stoke-on-Trent, where she fell ill this morning
A Staffordshire Police spokesman 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.’