King County Sheriff’s deputy tests positive for coronavirus

A King County Sheriff’s deputy has tested positive for coronavirus, according to Sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht.

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Speaking to KIRO Radio’s Gee and Ursula Show, Sheriff Johanknecht confirmed that the positive test came back Tuesday afternoon.

This comes as scores of New York City police officers have tested positive for the virus, with the department estimating it has more than 200 cops with COVID-19.

That being so, Johanknecht doesn’t suspect a coronavirus outbreak that expansive in a much smaller force like the King County Sheriff’s Office.

“(The NYPD has) thousands of police officers, and we have about 740 commissioned members of our department,” she said.

“We have already put in place some measures to limit exposure,” she added.

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These measures include a detailed operational plan, which has certain deputies and detectives tagged as a sort of “B team” to supplement officers on the front lines. Additionally, deputies are being outfitted with protective equipment, while uniforms are frequently decontaminated. Deputies also have backup uniforms available at precincts, while the department is “working on making sure they have an extra uniform they carry with them.”

“We are able to make sure that if somebody is exposed, we have measures in place to take care of folks,”  Johanknecht said.

Listen to the Gee and Ursula Show weekday mornings from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. on KIRO Radio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.