The Cairo Fire Department is slowly getting back up to full staff after five of the firefighters tested positive for COVID-19 late last month.
“All the firefighters are doing very well,” stated Bill Schafer, chief of the Cairo Fire Department, Tuesday. “Two of them return to work this week, and the other three will return next week after being released by their physicians. They all had very minor symptoms and none of them experienced any major complications. Their symptoms ranged from headaches, fatigue and a minor head cold.”
Until all firefighters are back at work, administrative employees and firefighters from other shifts are helping out to make sure there are four firefighters on duty per shift.
Chief Schafer says he is glad it wasn’t worse. “We are very thankful they recovered very fast and are able to return to work,” he says.
Meanwhile, firefighters are continuing to practice social distancing in the station, and wearing face coverings or masks when going on emergency calls. They will also continue to spray the station with the sanitizer TwinOxide before and after shift changes.
Schafer says for at least one more week, the department will answer only emergency calls, but once all of the affected firefighters have returned to work operations will return to normal.
