Fairfield Police Officer Tests Positive For Coronavirus

FAIRFIELD, CT — A Fairfield police officer has tested positive for the new coronavirus, a town law enforcement official said Saturday.

The officer spent time at a hospital Friday, the same day the test confirmed he had the virus, according to Capt. Robert Kalamaras, but he has since returned home.

The officer has not worked in a significant period of time nor has he been in contact with other officers, Kalamaras said, meaning the diagnosis will not affect police department staffing or require officers to self-quarantine.

Four Fairfield officers had previously tested negative for the virus, according to Kalamaras. Every officer in the department will get quick-turnaround tests for the virus next week through a partnership with Docs Urgent Care that will allow police to receive results in 15 minutes.

There were 173 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus in Fairfield as of Saturday, according to state data. Across Connecticut, there were 11,510 confirmed cases, 494 of which resulted in the death of a patient and 5,407 of which were in Fairfield County.

The Fairfield Police Department is working to prevent transmission of the virus within its ranks, Kalamaras said. Many civilian staff are working from home, several part-time employees have been laid off, and a portion of officers are on standby and not working in case of illness within the department.

“Overall, our workforce is in place,” Kalamaras said.

The department is also using a Protexus Electrostatic Sprayer to decontaminate patrol cars and common areas of the police station.