Ten Salinas PD employees sent home to self-isolate after coworker tests positive for coronavirus
SALINAS, Calif. (KION)
UPDATE 3/30/2020 10:30 p.m. More than a dozen staff members at the Salinas Police Department are self-isolating Monday night after possible exposure to Coronavirus.
While the department remains tight-lipped, citing privacy concerns, the police officers union president shed more details on the situation.
Salins Police Officers Association President Jim Knowlton tells KION a coworker returning from a trip out of state tested positive for COVID-19 last week.
"The health department had her fill out the questionnaire and there was 14 total people that she had contact with while back at work," said Knowlton.
He says five of those affected are sworn police officers; the nine others are non-sworn employees. Knowlton and Salinas Mayor Joe Gunter says no one is showing any symptoms so far.
All 14 people work in the administration division, including the five officers. However, they are not part of the team patrolling Salinas streets. The union president is still fearing the worst.
"Tomorrow is overlap day, so we'll have every patrol officer working and they haven't made any provision to have some of us gone," said Knowlton.
He says the department is already short 28 patrol officers. If the Coronavirus hit even a portion of the 79 men and women in patrol right now, the results could be dire.
"You know, all the sworn personnel there in admin, they're going to have to be the people that are going to be fill in for patrol officers when they go out," said Knowlton.
At this point, however, resident should still feel safe in the neighborhoods of Salinas. Mayor Gunter says the employee shortage will not impact the day-to-day services of the police department.
The mayor says all of the staff affected will have 14 days of quarantine before they are allowed back to work.
UPDATE 3/30/2020 3:30 p.m. Ten Salinas Police Department employees have been sent home and asked to confine themselves after a fellow employee tested positive for coronavirus, according to Mayor Joe Gunter.
Gunter said so far, none of the employees are showing any symptoms.
PREVIOUS STORY: In an email obtained by KION, City Manager Ray Corpuz says a Salinas Police Department employee tested positive for coronavirus.
It was one of the non-sworn employees, and Corpuz said that person believes they got it by traveling out of state.
Corpuz said the employee self-isolated before the results came back, but those who had contact with that person are also being asked to self-isolate or quarantine.
Patrols are not affected and other police services will still be provided.
