Police officers taking precautions during COVID-19 pandemic скачать в хорошем качестве

Police officers taking precautions during COVID-19 pandemic

CINCINNATI (WKRC) – After days of demonstrations against racial inequality, there’s concern that the spread of COVID-19 has moved beyond the protesters. Public health specialists have started sounding the alarm about the potential spread of COVID-19 due to the crowd gathering in the last several days. “I think it’s inevitable,” said Dr. Stephen Blatt, infectious disease specialist at TriHealth. “The virus is still out there in the community. We’re seeing cases and with more people getting out and interacting. I think we’re going to see more cases.” That concern, however, is now going beyond the crowds to those protecting them. “I want to applaud our police department because I thought they did a great job and had a lot of discipline compared to other cities,” said Dr. O’dell Owens, president and CEO for Interact for Health. “If I put my public health hat on: What a disaster. People in the street without masks. I worry.” Dr. Owens isn’t the only one concerned about police officers here and across the country. “We’re very aware of the risks of COVID-19 and trying not to expose ourselves, but certainly there’s times where it’s almost impossible not to have close contact with the public,” said Lt. Steve Saunders, the public information officer for the Cincinnati Police Department. Saunders and Sgt. Eric Frank said many of the teams protecting against violence had to give up some of their own protections against the coronavirus. “At the beginning, we separated our officers into single-person cars. Now, we’re back to double-person units,” said Saunders. Now, after days of close contact, the true risk of catching the coronavirus is a real concern. Dr. Owens said 35% of people don’t have symptoms but are carriers. The recommendation of testing and watching for symptoms for those who gathered is now extending to those who served. “We’ve asked our officers if they have any symptoms at all to report that to us,” said Saunders. “If they want to get tested, we'll get them tested. We do temperature tests every single day as officers come into work. We ask them to take their temperature before they come to work.” Saunders said since the pandemic started, just shy of a dozen of his officers have had confirmed cases of COVID-19. They’d like to keep it that way. The department has overcome many “hurdles.” Many of those now go beyond public safety to the safety and health of those who continue to protect and serve, even in the pandemic.