IOP Employee Tests Positive COVID-19

An officer of the Isle of Palms Police Department tested positive for COVID-19 this morning. This employee was working the night shift and the last worked shift was Thursday, June 11th, 2020. The employee began experiencing mild symptoms on Saturday, June 13, 2020 and is in quarantine at home.

The City immediately implemented our response plan, per CDC and SCDHEC guidelines, as follows:

The City hired a third-party contractor who is conducting a thorough cleaning and sanitization of the public safety mobile offices and the squad vehicles.

The City is actively developing a list of the people the officer was in close contact so that they be notified. Per SCDHEC, close contact is defined as being within 6 feet of someone who tested positive for COVID-19 for a period of at least 15 minutes. The employees that were in close contact with the officer have been sent home and will be in quarantine for 14 days. The department will supplement these positions with existing personnel.

The Police Department remains closed to the public and is not accepting walk-ins.

The City continues to follow the recommendations from the CDC and SCDHEC to prevent and reduce transmission among employees. The Police Department will conduct twice daily symptom checks and twice daily temperature checks of all personnel. Personnel are required to wear masks when it is hard to maintain social distancing. Personnel must stay home if they are sick and should someone become symptomatic while at work, they will be separated from others and be sent home immediately.

The City continues to provide PPE and cleaning supplies to all departments to practice routine cleaning and disinfection of frequently touched objects and surfaces such as workstations, keyboards, telephones, handrails, and doorknobs.