Local law enforcement is taking a hit from COVID-19 including Grady County Sheriff Harry Young and two Cairo Police Officers who have tested positive. Sheriff Young was hospitalized Monday as a precaution, and is responding well to treatments, according to Grady County Sheriff’s Capt. Daniel Singletary.
“I spoke with him several times today, and he’s sounding upbeat,” Singletary said Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the sheriff’s office building is being disinfected and will be closed to the public for 14 days as employees quarantine.
Singletary says all of the employees were tested Monday, and all tested negative at that time.
Still, the office is continuing to operate and take calls and make necessary arrests, says Singletary, who is overseeing operations in the sheriff’s absence.
Cairo Police Chief Giovannie Santos says his two officers are quarantining at home with mild symptoms, and other officers are working with citizens to help prevent any further spread.
“Whenever possible we (officers) ask individuals to exit their homes and speak with them outdoors, a practice we describe as ‘front porch interviews,’” says Chief Santos. “The public has been asked that if they know they are positive for COVID-19, to please let public safety know if they require us to respond. This is a way we can prevent it from further spreading.”
Santos says he is thankful that the City of Cairo has been able to provide police with necessary P.P.E. (personal protective equipment).
“There is no such thing as 100 percent safe, but every single percent counts,” says Chief Santos.
