NEW ORLEANS — About 40 Jefferson Parish Sheriff Office deputies have tested positive for COVID-19, Sheriff Joe Lopinto said during a press conference Thursday.
JPSO deputies include civil employees who work behind the scenes, not just armed law enforcement officers, Lopinto said.
"Right now, we're OK on operations," Lopinto said during a Thursday press conference. "We still have enough personnel handling calls-to-service."
The sheriff thanked law enforcement officers, dispatchers, emergency medical services workers and others for continuing to serve the Jefferson Parish community, emphasizing that residents can keep them safe by staying indoors.
"We're asking people to stay inside for a reason," Lopinto told the public. "Hopefully, this never affects anybody in your family. Hopefully, it never affects a person that is closer to you."
The sheriff said his office has been tracking 80 employees since March 19, and about half have tested positive for COVID-19."
“(The} good news is we have some of our deputies that are actually back at work," Lopinto said. "(Some) have had negative symptoms for a period of over three days have recovered from the virus itself and have returned back to work."
Five JSPO deputies are hospitalized, and two are in very serious condition, Lopinto said as he affirmed that his prayers continue to be with his deputies.
"Our deputies are going out to handle a lot more deaths during the day because people are losing loved ones," Lopinto said. "(Deputies) are not able to visit their loved ones who are in the hospital."
With the courts closed, Lopinto said bailiffs have been working in the Jefferson Parish Correctional facility, freeing up deputies to work elsewhere and allowing JPSO response times to go on unaffected.
Lopinto said his office has extra personnel if needed, but he's limiting their exposure to the virus.
Commenting on social media posts that are downplaying the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, the sheriff wanted to put those consequences in perspective, urging people to take the pandemic and the stay-at-home orders seriously.
"In 2019, we had 60 fatal automobile accidents in Jefferson Parish," Lopinto said. "We had 73 deaths in the last two weeks in Jefferson Parish. This can happen very quickly."
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