ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — A St. Louis County police officer assigned to the patrol division has tested positive for COVID-19, the department announced Wednesday. It is not clear how the officer contracted the virus.
Any affected work areas and vehicles have been cleaned.
To date, there have been a total of 15 employees at the department who have tested positive for COVID-19 — a combination of patrol officers and those who work in support or administrative positions.
Ten of the employees have recovered and returned to work, the department said.
"Despite the challenges of the pandemic, the manpower of the St. Louis County Police Department stands ready to serve and is fully able to protect the safety and security of the public," a department spokesperson said in a press release.
Earlier this month, the department re-instituted proactive measures to minimize the virus’ impact on the department and those it serves. It will be temporarily modifying how officers will respond to non-emergency calls for service and the ability to report incidents over the phone.
The department said no call will go unanswered and people should continue to call police when they feel it is necessary.
Wednesday, St. Louis County reported 423 new COVID-19 cases. And Missouri's health department reported a record of 1,927 new COVID-19 cases — the second day in a row the state has broken the record.
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