Police officers on the front line

Like members of the medical profession, law enforcement officers are on the front line and do not get a break or temporary closure due to COVID-19. Six weeks into the fight to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, Commissioner of Police Paul Rolle said no member of the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) has contracted the virus.

“We’re good,” Rolle told The Nassau Guardian.

“We have adequate officers out [on patrols] and we have the officers utilizing the proper protection. We were proactive. We had issued masks and the proper protective equipment and gear to the officers before we even had the first case.”

On the front line and in close contact with people on a daily basis, police are actively stopping people to ascertain why they’re on the streets with the country’s stay-at-home orders, as well as escorting suspects to court, while not knowing if the person they’re talking to may be infected.

People with COVID-19 have reported a wide range of symptoms from mild to severe – which may appear two to 14 days after exposure to the virus – and may include fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and more recently, loss of taste or smell, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

With no vaccine to prevent coronavirus currently, the best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to the virus, which is spread mainly from person to person and between people who are in close contact with one another (within six feet). Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks, droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby, or possibly be inhaled into the lungs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that recent studies have suggested that COVID-19 may be spread by people who are not showing symptoms.

Police officers deal with people daily, not knowing if they will be exposed to the virus.

“My officers are all trained with dealing with persons and I encourage them, now that you have the virus moving about , to be extra careful and to make sure that they wear their masks and their gloves when they’re handling persons where they’re not sure.”

In the effort to stop the COVID-19 spread, people are encouraged to clean their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or use a hand sanitizer containing at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not readily available, and avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. They are also encouraged to avoid close contact with people who are sick; stay at home as much as possible and put distance between themselves and other people; cover their mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others, as COVID-19 can be spread to others even if a person does not feel sick; and cover coughs and sneezes.

With this in mind, the police have been issuing face coverings to suspects taken to court, which Rolle said is not only for the safety of police officers, but the safety of the overall community.

“We talk about community spread and so we have to also look at the protection of the suspects and other persons who may be in the vicinity,” said Rolle.

The medical profession has not been as lucky. Earlier in the month, Minister of Health Dr. Duane Sands said that one in five confirmed COVID-19 cases had been health care workers. At the time, there were approximately 40 confirmed cases.

The first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in The Bahamas on March 15. There are now 65 confirmed cases, nine deaths and 654 people in quarantine as of yesterday. Worldwide there have been 2,544,769 confirmed cases with 175,621 deaths.

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source https://thenassauguardian.com/2020/04/22/police-officers-on-the-front-line/