VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Two deputies at the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office have tested positive for COVID-19.
One of the VBSO deputies has already recovered from the disease and has been cleared to return to work, while the other deputy remains on leave, according to a news release.
The Virginia Department of Health and the VBSO’s internal safety officer are investigating the positive cases of COVID-19. The VDH has conducted trace investigations and contacted everyone who these deputies have been in direct contact with at work, home, and in the community.
The VBSO will not provide any other details about the deputies, including their work assignments.
The VBSO has 469 appointed employees. None of them have been hospitalized due to COVID-19. An inmate at the Virginia Beach Correctional Center was tested for COVID-19 as well, but the test result was negative, according to the news release.
The VBSO is screening its employees and contractors before they come to work each day. Employees and contractors are required to wear face masks when they are within six feet of another person at work and have been provided with personal protective equipment and hand sanitzer in the jail and city courthouse, the release states.
The VBSO also implemented a 24/7 cleaning program at the jail in March.
Inmates are aware of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidance on avoiding the spread of COVID-19. All new inmates are being screened and quarantined for two weeks before they enter the jail’s general population, the news release states.
“This is an unprecedented public health pandemic. While I had hoped that the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office would be spared from this illness, I knew that was probably impossible, especially as the coronavirus has spread,” said Sheriff Ken Stolle. “We have taken every precaution to reduce the risk of contamination to the inmates and our appointees while on the job and have been ahead of the CDC’s guidelines every step of the way. I am relieved that one of our appointees has already defeated the coronavirus and I pray for a speedy and full recovery for the other.”
