All of Manatee County’s largest law enforcement agencies have positive coronavirus cases
All three of Manatee County’s largest law enforcement agencies now have positive cases of the coronavirus in their ranks.
The Palmetto Police Department is the latest local agency to report its first cases, with two officers testing positive, according to Chief of Police Scott Tyler.
At the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, the number of cases has doubled in a week. A total of 18 deputies and civilian employees are now infected with the virus, according to sheriff’s office spokesman Randy Warren.
As cases again surged in Florida, the sheriff’s office and the Bradenton Police Department each confirmed having new cases within their departments. A Bradenton police detective has since returned to work while a dispatcher is still quarantined with the coronavirus.
Until now, the Palmetto Police Department had not reported any positive cases. The Holmes Beach, Bradenton Beach and Longboat Key police departments have not reported any cases.
Local law enforcement officers are not required to wear masks, only recommended to do so, when dealing with the public. Those recommendations urge officers to follow CDC guidance. The CDC, Florida Department of Health and infectious disease experts say that masks and social distancing are key in spreading the coronavirus.
As other jurisdictions, across the state have enacted ordinances requiring people to wear masks to stop the spread of the coronavirus a, the Manatee County Commission decided against. The cities of Anna Maria, Holmes Beach and Longboat Key, however, have enacted their own ordinances.
Manatee County now has 3,890 total cases of the novel coronavirus, while the death toll stands at 135.
