NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. – Two Neptune Beach police officers have tested positive for COVID-19, and seven more are in quarantine as a precaution, authorities said Thursday.
The seven officers who are self-isolating are doing so because they had close contact with those who came down with the illness, Cmdr. Michael Key told News4Jax in a Zoom interview.
That nine officers are sidelined is significant for the small police department, which has a total of 22 officers.
Cmdr. Key said the development is not impacting the department’s ability to get to emergencies. He said residents can still count on police to answer calls, noting that detectives can patrol if necessary.
“If you call 911, if you pick up the phone and you need to contact the Neptune Beach Police Department, you will have an officer there the same as you would have the day before we learned the two officers contracted COVID-19,” Key said. “Our public safety, our response to calls for emergency has not decreased and we have not had any lapse in our ability to serve our public.”
A total of 32 staff members have been tested for the virus, Key said. Police in nearby Atlantic Beach and Jacksonville Beach said none of the officers on their rosters has tested positive for the virus.