WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Forty Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office corrections deputies are being quarantined after their possible exposure to the novel coronavirus, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said on Friday.
It comes after three deputies have previously tested positive for COVID-19.
Bradshaw told WPTV NewsChannel 5 that two of those deputies are under quarantine in their homes, and a third is in the hospital in critical condition.
"The 40 deputies that were put out are the ones that we believe were in contact with the deputy that has the most serious complications," the sheriff said.
Bradshaw said 38 of the 40 deputies will be back to work on Saturday, and the deputy who's in the hospital had underlying medical conditions before contracting the virus.
No jail inmates have tested positive for the virus.
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Bradshaw said this should not impact any PBSO operations.
"The corrections deputies don't work on the road," the sheriff said. "They’re in corrections and we have more than enough staff to cover that."
Bradshaw added that all deputies in the field have personal protective equipment and the agency is prepared to handle all calls for service.
"The public needs to know we're going to keep them safe like we always do, but they need to take this seriously," Bradshaw said. "Unless there is some type of demand for us to go into the residence, then we are going to meet the people outside and talk to them there."
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According to the latest numbers from the Florida Department of Health, there are 194 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Palm Beach County.
Thirty-one people have been hospitalized from the virus in the county, and three have died.
