The NYPD is seeing an uptick in COVID-19 among Bronx cops, according to Commissioner Dermot Shea, who said it was “impossible” to say whether the spike had anything to do with some officers not wearing masks.
The top cop revealed the jump Friday on FOX 5’s “Good Day NY,” while addressing the department’s handling of the hot spots across the city.
“We’re also seeing an uptick within the NYPD, and we’re watching it very closely,” Shea said. “It’s actually, you know, the Bronx is where we’re seeing [it] internally.”
As of Friday, there were 54 NYPD officers out sick with the coronavirus — more than triple the number Sept. 1 when only 16 had tested positive, according to a police spokeswoman.
The numbers still remain far below what they were at the peak of the pandemic in New York City, when one-fifth of the NYPD’s nearly 36,000 officers were out with the virus.
In addition, 18 civilian staffers were out with COVID-19 on Friday.
Shea skirted a question about whether the jump in coronavirus infections had anything to do with officers forgoing their face masks.
“It’s impossible to — we’ve seen cases where [members] have traveled and come back,” the commissioner said. “How to pinpoint exactly — we do our best.”
“We trace within the NYPD as well to make sure, between messaging and being very vocal across the leadership team,” he added. “I think it’s incumbent upon all of us to do everything possible to keep ourselves safe and also to keep the public safe.”
He brought up the spike when questioned about criticisms by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has called for the department to step up its enforcement of shutdowns in the city’s current hot spots, including Borough Park in Brooklyn.
“Listen, it’s been a tough year, we’re getting heat from a lot of sides,” Shea said. “We could wait five minutes and the conversation will shift and they’ll probably say we’re doing too much. So what we have to do is stay focused, stay balanced, make sure that we’re doing what we do every day for New Yorkers, to keep everyone safe.”