THE wife of a worker at Stansted airport has raised concerns over protection being given to staff against the coronavirus.

The woman, who asked not to be named, says staff at Stansted Airport have each been given a bottle of hand sanitiser to protect them from the illness.

But she fears staff could become infected with the coronavirus and “take it home to their families”.

She said: “I tried to phone them up to raise my concerns but I couldn’t even get through at first.

“Then they told me it’s up to the staff to find out what’s happening.

“Luggage staff at Stansted can handle up to 300 cases a day from across the world, including affected countries.

“I am really concerned that all these men and women are touching this luggage and have no protection.

“No gloves have been given to staff and they are handling hundreds of pieces of luggage from all over Europe all day.

“As of Tuesday, six people have died in the UK after contracting the virus, with 373 confirmed cases.

“I already know of two people who know somebody with coronavirus and it’s worrying, the staff could be taking it home to their families.

“They have been given a little bottle of hand sanitiser but that’s it.

“I’m really shocked that nobody has intervened – it seems like nobody cares.”

Stansted insists it is following official guidelines to protect its workers.

A spokesman for the airport said: “The safety and security of passengers and staff will always be our number one priority.

“We are following the guidance from Public Health England.

“The vast majority of flights schedules are currently arriving and departing as planned, with no changes to staffing levels or procedures.

“Posters and leaflets are in place to give customers the latest public health guidance, including information about what they should do if they feel unwell on their return.

“We will continue to work with Public Health England to help determine what further steps would need to be taken, should circumstances change in the future.”

On Tuesday, Ryanair and easyJet, who operate from Stansted announced they were cancelling flights to Italy.

It is currently is the European epicentre of the coronavirus epidemic, with 10,149 confirmed cases and 631 deaths so far.