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A popular High Street shoe shop has been forced to close because of a suspected coronavirus case.

Clarks in Nantwich closed yesterday (February 15) because a staff member is being tested for the deadly super virus.

Shoppers visiting the store - which usually opens at 9am on a Saturday - were met by a sign saying the shop closed on Friday afternoon after fears an employee caught the bug.

The MailOnline reports a sign on the front door read: "This store is closed due to unforseen (sic) circumstances'. The store is not open on Sundays."

The shoe retailer said it opted to close the store while the staff member was being quarantined and tested for the virus.

On Saturday a spokesman for Clarks said: "We can confirm that Clarks is currently taking advice from Public Health England regarding an individual at our Nantwich store.

"The employee in question has been tested for Coronavirus, and is now in self-quarantine following advice from Public Health England as we await their test results."

It comes after a North Staffordshire couple have just been allowed to return to their home after fleeing China on a rescue flight.

The couple - who have since tested negative for the virus - were kept in quarantine until given the all-clear.

More than 1,500 people have died worldwide from coronavirus, with 66,000 confirmed cases.

The ninth confirmed patient in the UK was a woman who arrived at Lewisham Hospital in South London in an Uber taxi.

The total number of infections across mainland China was 66,492 after 2,641 new cases were confirmed as of Friday, the country's National Health Commission said.