ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — A St. Louis County police officer assigned to the patrol division has tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total to 11, as of July 20.
Five of the 11 people have recovered and returned to duty, according to a press release from the department.
Two of the other recent cases involved a police officer and one was a staff member of the department. The department said it doesn’t know how the police officer contracted the virus, but it believes the staff member contracted it outside of work.
Starting last week, the department re-instituted proactive measures to minimize the virus’ impact on the department and those it serves, according to a press release.
It will be temporarily modifying how officers will respond to non-emergency calls for service and the ability to report incidents over the phone.
“It is of paramount importance that the health and safety of our first responders and our citizens be considered in all of our interactions. These adjustments are meant to help maintain a high standard of uninterrupted service to our community and mitigate the spread of COVID-19,” department spokesperson Sgt. Ben Granda said a the release.
The department said no call will go unanswered and people should continue to call police when they feel it is necessary.
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