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Three police officers have been ordered to put themselves in isolation as a female prisoner is tested for killer coronavirus.

A custody facility has been placed into lockdown this morning after a woman, who is reportedly Chinese, was found to be ill after having been arrested.

A Staffordshire Police spokesman told StokeOnTrentLive how the Northern Area Custody Facility in the Stoke-on-Trent suburb of Etruria was the centre of a scare today.

A woman arrested in nearby Burton was transferred to the police station and it is feared may have passed on the deadly bug to staff.

Two police constables and a PCSO have been told to self isolate to avoid passing the virus onto others as the UK desperately tries to avoid an outbreak as the death toll rise above 2,000 worldwide.

A 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.

Have you been affected by the coronavirus outbreak? Email webnews@mirror.co.uk.

(Image: Stoke-on-Trent Live WS)

"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."

(Image: Stoke-on-Trent Live WS)

A source told the Mirror's sister website in Stoke that the woman was Chinese.

They said: "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."

(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

The Government has declared a 'serious and imminent threat to public health' after a patient quarantined in Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside attempted to abscond.

British passengers on a cruise ship in Japan will be quarantined at accommodation at Arrowe Park once they are flown back to the UK.

The Foreign Office is working to organise a repatriation flight for British people currently on the Diamond Princess.

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In a letter to staff, Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Trust said: "Following the successful management of two previous groups of repatriated British citizens, from Wuhan in China, Arrowe Park has been asked to host the Britons from Japan and look after them throughout their quarantine period.

"We are still waiting for final confirmation of how many will be joining us but we wanted you to be aware of the situation as soon as we could."

As of 2pm on Wednesday, 5,216 tests for coronavirus in the UK have taken place, the Department of Health and Social Care said.

(Image: PA)

Nine of these have been confirmed positive.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: "We can confirm that an accommodation block on the Arrowe Park NHS site will be used to isolate those returning from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan.

"They will be kept in this location for the 14-day quarantine period, with around-the-clock support from medical staff at all times.

"We would like to take this opportunity to thank NHS and PHE staff who have continued to provide world-class care, as well as the wider Wirral community for their understanding and support.

"There is no risk to the public, and the hospital will continue to run as normal."