Murder inquiries could be hit if coronavirus reduces police numbers

Up to one-fifth of UK workforce could be off sick at peak of epidemic, government warns

• Coronavirus: latest updates

Police investigations into some homicides would be halted and 999 response times extended under contingency plans to help forces cope with a severe coronavirus outbreak, the Guardian has learned.

As the number of confirmed UK cases reached 51, the government warned that up to a fifth of the workforce could be off sick during the peak of a potential epidemic. A raft of measures would be introduced if the virus moved beyond the currently designated “contain phase,” a 28-page action plan warned.

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