JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A class at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Police Academy was quarantined after four recruits tested positive for the novel coronavirus, News4Jax learned Tuesday.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the academy is continuing to operate, but it is taking precautions. It said one recruit was “exposed to COVID-19 outside of the academy setting.”
Once that happened, the Sheriff’s Office said, the entire class and instructors were quarantined on June 8. Everyone was tested, and the four recruits came back with positive test results.
The Sheriff’s Office said it’s continuing to use a virtual job fair to find recruits. It said cleaning crews are on site on a “continual basis” and that “arrangements have been made to limit classes mingling among each other.”
“Everything we know as normal is not normal right now and the police academy is no exception. They have to adhere to the CDC guidelines,” said News4Jax crime and safety expert Ken Jefferson, a retired JSO officer.
As the classes continue, schedules have been changed to limit who goes in and out of the facility at any given time. Some classes have also been moved outside.
Additionally, classroom sizes have been expanded by removing portable walls to allow for greater social distancing.