Six Washington police officers out with COVID-19
A COVID-19 outbreak at the Washington police department has six officers out sick.
According to Chief Robert Wilson, some of the officers are vaccinated and some are not.
“They range from having a sinus cold to severe headaches, and it feels like they got beat up. But nothing major as of right now,” Wilson said.
Wilson said the first positive case came on Saturday, with three more following Sunday and two, Monday.
“They all did come down with (COVID-19) at about the same time. We’re just looking at standard CDC protocols for quarantine and bringing them back to work,” said Washington Mayor Scott Putnam.
Wilson said they are currently unaware of the outbreak’s origin.
“I have no idea how it got in here. We do not know,” Wilson said.
The six officers will be off the job for 10 days, and then will need a negative COVID test to return to work, according to Wilson.
“At the station, we are wearing masks and social distancing,” Wilson said.
Wilson added that officers are wiping down their stations and avoiding contact with their coworkers during shift changes, and that they will only have one person to a car on patrols.
Wilson said he has not been tested for COVID-19.
The outbreak will create a strain on the department as they try to contend with a staffing shortage. The police department includes 30 officers.
“The guys are working overtime to cover the open shifts so we can maintain the status in the community,” Wilson said.