TAMPA, Fla. — An officer with the Tampa Police Department tested positive for coronavirus, according to Tampa Mayor Jane Castor.
The announcement comes hours after TPD Chief Brian Dugan said "several dozen" officers were under a quarantine amid the coronavirus pandemic. Dugan called the virus a "severe problem" for the department.
"There's no way cops can do their jobs without potentially being exposed to this virus. We can't walk around with face masks; we can't walk around with various personal protection equipment," Chief Dugan said. "There's no way for us to do our job without potentially being exposed to this virus."
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Mayor Castor did not identify which officer tested positive for the virus.
According to the department on Wednesday, 44 officers are being monitored. Of those, 15 were possibly exposed to the coronavirus in the line of duty. The department added that staffing is not currently an issue.
Dugan also said 10 officers showed symptoms, seven officers went on a cruise, three went on an international travel and nine officers are waiting coronavirus test results.
As of Thursday, 30 officers are under quarantine and 45 are being monitored by a nurse. There is no update yet on the nine officers awaiting test results.
Dugan said he feels people aren't thinking about how their choices affect first responders. His message for them? "Take this serious."
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Dugan said three officers were quarantined after they performed CPR on someone Tuesday night. Dugan said the person died, and the cause is not yet known.
"This is the sacrifices that people are making," Dugan said. "These officers exposed themselves, potentially, to this virus trying to save someone else's life."
Officials did not say if the person who tested positive were among the three who performed CPR that night.
Dugan spoke about the quarantined officers while taking questions in a Facebook Live about the "stay-at-home" policy Mayor Jane Castor is hoping to enact on Thursday. It would go into effect at 10 p.m. on Friday.
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Dugan said his department would enforce the policy if one is issued. He added that the department would rely on people "being good citizens" to make it happen.
"We are asking that people use common sense," Dugan said. "This is much more serious than what people think."
Watch Chief Dugan's video in full below
