A BARROW couple were caught up in the fears over coronavirus as they returned home from their holiday.

Marion and Michael Whinnerah were kept for hours on their coach after concerns the infectious disease was about to be spread across the country by passengers.

Travelling back from their holiday in Germany, the couple’s coach was stopped in Kent after a woman fell ill in Calais.

The woman in her 90s was taken to hospital in France and was believed to have been travelling from Italy, where several towns are under quarantine because of an outbreak of the deadly virus.

Mrs Whinnerah, 67, said: “We were sat on the coach and we were told we couldn’t leave because the police were coming.

“Officers came on to the coach and told us what had happened. It was a bit concerning but everyone managed to remain calm.

“At least if we were quarantined we would have had our washing done for us.”

The couple from Maple Street were on the way back from a holiday in the Black Forest after celebrating both of their birthdays in the German tourist spot.

They applauded the authorities for taking steps to keep people safe.

“We knew it was just a precaution,” said Mrs Whinnerah, a retired caterer.

“They did everything they should have done.”

Kent Police confirmed the woman in France had been taken ill before later being given the all-clear following tests for coronavirus.

A spokesman said: “In light of the current concerns regarding coronavirus symptoms, the woman was taken to a French hospital for tests and treatment.

The remaining coach passengers, who are all British nationals, travelled to Dover via ferry and, on arrival to the UK, boarded a number of separate coaches.

"Kent Police officers subsequently stopped 12 coaches at a service station at junction 11 on the M20 as a precaution and in consultation with Public Health England, appropriate advice was given to those on board.”

The death toll from the virus has reached 2,700 worldwide.