North Las Vegas police officer tests positive for coronavirus
A North Las Vegas police officer has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
City Manager Ryann Juden was alerted to the positive test early Wednesday, according to an email he sent to staff members that evening. The officer is recovering at home and is “in good spirits,” he wrote.
“This highlights the real danger our dedicated team members face on the front line as they serve and protect our community, and underscores the need for our community to do their part to listen to our governor and mayor and stay home,” Juden said in a statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
North Las Vegas spokesman Patrick Walker said the officer began having symptoms on Saturday morning, after the officer’s last shift of the week. The officer immediately self-quarantined, but the symptoms persisted on Sunday, he said. The officer notified the city’s emergency command center and was tested Monday, according to Walker.
Officials determined only one other officer was at high risk of exposure, Juden wrote in the email to employees. That officer was told to quarantine and has not shown symptoms of COVID-19, according to another email North Las Vegas police Chief Pamela Ojeda sent to police employees.
Both officers who are isolating will have daily contact with medical personnel from the emergency command center, she wrote.
“When we asked about any other individuals the officer may have had contact with, we were advised by the medical professionals it would be considered a low risk contact and there was no need for any additional individuals to be quarantined,” Ojeda wrote.
Later Thursday, Juden said an employee in the North Las Vegas Police Department’s records bureau tested positive for the virus.
On Wednesday, the Metropolitan Police Department said two of its officers had tested positive for the virus. As of Thursday morning, the number of cases reported in Nevada was up to 1,458.
Contact Blake Apgar at bapgar@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5298. Follow @blakeapgar on Twitter.
