Winnipeg police see drop in COVID cases among members; remain in state of emergency
Winnipeg police
The Winnipeg Police Service has seen a drop in the number of its members with active COVID-19 cases; however, its state of emergency remains in effect.
On Friday, the police announced there are now 65 sworn/civilian members who are off sick with COVID-19. When the state of emergency was initially announced on Jan. 5, there were 90 active cases.
The police service added that due to the efforts of its membership it won’t need to go beyond the first phase of its business continuity plan at this time.
“I want to thank all of the members who have volunteered to take on extra shifts,” said Chief Danny Smyth in a news release.
“And I realize that the extreme cold makes these shifts even more challenging.”
When the service first announced the state of emergency earlier in the month, Smyth said COVID-19 had been significantly impacting the staffing resources.
The police service designated 80 officers to be assigned to general patrol, and additional officers from other units were redeployed to backfill on short notice.
These changes were made to ensure that general patrol units remain available.
- With files from CTV’s Charles Lefebvre.
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