LOS ANGELES – More than a third of Los Angeles Police Department personnel who are out sick with COVID-19 have been absent from work for more than 14 days, a trend that Police Chief Michel Moore said Tuesday has gotten the department’s attention.
Of the 474 sworn officers and civilian members out with COVID-19, 168 have been out beyond the 14-day mark, while there are 21 long-haul cases of COVID-19 in the department, Moore told the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners on Tuesday.
Moore said the department is working with its medical liaison and coordinators to ensure the employees are getting the necessary medical treatment and support to recover.
On average, the typical LAPD employee’s absence from work is nine or 10 days following an infection, Moore said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines recommend isolating for five days and taking precautions for at least 10 days after a positive test.
According to Moore’s data, last week saw a 24 percent reduction in new COVID-19 cases in the department. There were 105 new cases — 68 of them in sworn officers and 37 among civilian members. Of the new cases, 77 percent of the employees were vaccinated.
