Minneapolis police Chief Medaria Arradondo said Monday that police officers will be expected to wear protective masks on most calls, as the department announced its first confirmed coronavirus case.
The policy change comes as calls grow louder for strengthening protections of cops and other front-line workers against the novel coronavirus that, as of Sunday, had infected 1,650 people across the state, killing 70.
"We are closely monitoring and managing officers' health, including putting protocols in place for possible and confirmed exposure including testing," Arradondo said in a statement released Monday. "We will continue to be vigilant and take necessary measures to keep all our employees healthy and well."
Officials did not identify the affected employee.
The chief's announcement comes weeks after similar moves in cities like New York and Detroit, whose police departments have been strained as hundreds of officers have gone out sick or into quarantine. But until now, Minnesota's largest police department had been spared from the unfolding pandemic.
Still, Arradondo said, the department has had to adapt its approach in "these unprecedented times," balancing the health of its officers and residents with maintaining public safety.
"We have taken aggressive steps to keep officers healthy so they can keep you safe," his statement said. "Some of these steps include enhanced personal protective equipment, some changes to staffing models and schedule changes that still allow for the City to be fully covered by the MPD."
Citing patient privacy laws, a police spokesman that said he couldn't discuss whether any of the people who worked alongside the sick employee had shown any symptoms themselves or if, and how for how long, they themselves were ordered to self-quarantine in their homes.
