Coronavirus fears over woman in custody as police officers self-isolate

A number of police officers have been told to stay at home and self-isolate while a woman being held in custody is tested for coronavirus.

The "non-UK national" was arrested in Burton upon Trent and taken to Northern Area Custody in Stoke, Staffordshire Police said.

Two constables and a community support officer were told to keep away after it was noticed the woman "was unwell", the force added.

The suspect - said by local media to be Chinese - has been tested for Covid-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, with results expected later this week.

Health officials believe it is "highly unlikely" she has the potentially deadly virus, police said in a statement.

The officers have been asked to self-isolate as a "precautionary measure in accordance with NHS guidelines".

The custody suite was "on lockdown for about an hour" before reopening, the Stoke Sentinel reported.

Latest reports from China said the number of deaths from Covid-19 had reached 2,004, with 74,185 confirmed infections.

New cases have fallen to less than 2,000 for the last two days - with a study finding that the outbreak appears to be weakening.