ALMOST 200 AT SDPD OUT DUE TO VIRUS
Many in quarantine or isolation; official says calls will get responses
Almost 200 San Diego Police Department employees were in isolation or quarantine this week because of COVID-19, although officials said the police force is in a position to continue to respond to calls as usual.
“The Police Department is very much open for business and working to keep the community safe,” Lt. Adam Sharki, a police spokesperson, said.
He said the department is not facing a crisis despite the number of employees who are absent.
Sharki said 112 employees had tested positive for COVID-19 and 83 were awaiting test results as of Tuesday. The figures included police officers and non-sworn personnel, such as dispatchers. The department employs roughly 2,600 employees.
Sharki would not say how many officers were among the employees who were absent.
The city mandated that employees get vaccinated against COVID-19, although many employees, including police officers, have refused to get vaccinated. Some requested medical or religious exemptions, while others face termination.
As of Wednesday, about 73 percent of the city’s roughly 1,950 police officers were vaccinated. The rest were not vaccinated or had not reported their vaccination status to the city, although most of them had requested a medical or religious exemption.
COVID-19 also hit the regional police academy at San Diego Miramar College, where 25 out of 226 recruits from various agencies tested positive. The caseload prompted officials to suspend the San Diego Regional Public Safety Training Institute. Recruits were assigned materials to review and physical training programs if they were able to continue with coursework.
The recruits are part of the 128th Academy and 129th Academy classes. On Dec. 27, after several recruits in the 129th Academy tested positive, the class was suspended for two weeks.
The 128th Academy continued until Sunday, when, after several positive tests, officials suspended the class for at least one week.
“The health and safety of the Recruits is a top priority, especially during this resurgence of the COVID-19 virus,” the San Diego Community College District, which includes Miramar College, said in a
statement.
Recruits are required to be vaccinated or have an approved medical or religious exemption, said Jack Beresford, a spokesperson for the college district.
According to the statement, when classes are in session staff conduct temperature checks, masks are required in classrooms and the two classes are separated as much as possible.
The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department also has been hit hard with COVID-19 cases.
Last week, after the number of firefighters in isolation due to COVID-19 continued to rise, officials announced a brownout plan that outlined what fire resources would be idled should the staffing shortage demand it. As of Wednesday, 127 firefighters were in isolation.
The department has also paused all in-person instruction at its current fire academy after six of 32 recruits — all of whom were vaccinated — tested positive for the coronavirus. The remaining recruits are continuing their studies virtually while the department assesses the situation.
As of Wednesday, about 88 percent of the city’s roughly 960 firefighters were vaccinated, according to city figures. Among firefighters who were not vaccinated or had not reported their vaccination status to the city, most had requested a medical or religious exemption.
The city said this week that the exemption review process, which includes interviews with employees, will likely take at least two more weeks.
For employees who have not gotten vaccinated, requested an exemption or otherwise complied with the city’s mandate — other options are to retire, resign or take an unpaid leave of absence — the city on Tuesday sent employees advanced notices of termination, the first step in a process that allows employees to appeal.
City officials on Wednesday were unable to provide details about the number of employees who received notices, saying the city was working with “many” employees who were set to receive an advanced notice of termination and chose to comply last minute. The city stressed that employees who decided to comply will not receive a termination notice.
“The City is committed to giving employees every opportunity to come into compliance with the Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policy,” the city said in a statement.