2 Brea police officers and 1 civilian employee infected with coronavirus

A civilian employee and two sworn officers of the Brea Police Department have contracted COVID-19 and are recovering in isolation, officials said Thursday, April 2.

Officers have been checking in on the three patients, who were at home and in good spirits, said police Lt. Tim Mercado. Two were asymptomatic after testing positive for coronavirus, Brea city officials said in a news release. The third was not tested, but has been clinically diagnosed.

All infected employees have been placed into a mandatory two-week isolation period, Brea officials said. Some personnel who had been in contact with the recently diagnosed patients were being monitored.

Department officials have rearranged staff assignments, moved briefings and other meetings out of enclosed spaces, encouraged hand washing and taken on a number of other measures to prevent the possible transmission of COVID-19 between officers, Mercado said. A specialized cleaning company also has been hired to sanitize all police department facilities, Brea officials said in their release.

The recently confirmed cases of coronavirus will not impact the department’s ability to serve the public, Mercado said. Officials have planned ahead to ensure that there will be enough staff to sustain all police functions.