A Cincinnati police officer is quarantining at home after testing positive for COVID-19. Two others are self-quarantining while awaiting test results.Chief Eliot Isaac says the officer from District Three is in good spirits. The department reports it is taking steps to decontaminate the station and is implementing an alternative operation site for that district. All District Three employees are being removed from the building temporarily while a contractor comes in to clean and disinfect.
"District Three will continue to provide full patrol services while this process occurs," the department says in a statement, adding it is working with local health officials to trace contacts.
"While we know this is a trying time for our officer that has tested positive, we are grateful that they are experiencing mild symptoms and we will support them and the entire department as this pandemic impacts our city and the world," Isaac writes. "We will continue to provide the highest level of police services, but we must emphasize the importance of social distancing and the steps we need to take as a society and as a department to keep our employees safe, so we can keep the public safe."
In a letter to Cincinnati's mayor and council members, City Manager Patrick Duhaney says people living in District Three should still use "traditional contact methods" to reach the station "for the time being. We will notify you of any changes related to this situation as they develop."
Duhaney adds, "The safety and well-being of our Officers and all City of Cincinnati staff is paramount. We will undertake all measures necessary to keep them safe while also maintaining essential core services such as public safety."
