Monessen: Police handling COVID outbreak

By KRISTIE LINDEN

klinden@yourmvi.com

In Monessen, COVID-19 has reared its ugly head in several areas of the city’s operations. 

City Hall had to close all of Thanksgiving week and the first couple of days of the following week when some employees contracted the virus.

Just as City Hall was closing, Monessen’s No. 1 Volunteer Fire prepared to reopen Nov. 24 after a 10-day closure due to a large number of firefighters who tested positive with COVID-19.

Somewhere in the midst of all this, several Monessen police officers also fell ill with the virus.  

In all instances, all three facilities were deep cleaned.

In a meeting last week, Councilman Don Gregor, who’s in charge of public safety, said the deep cleaning involved all the firefighters’ turn-out gear and equipment being sanitized as well. Gregor said the same procedure was done with the police officers’ gear and equipment.

“They sanitized everything,” Gregor said. “They did a complete job. They did the (police) cars, too.”

Shorraw said Friday the officers who have been sick are doing OK and the department is getting through the situation. 

“The health and safety of our officers and the general welfare of the public are paramount,” Shorraw said. “We continue to have a few officers in quarantine and are awaiting negative COVID test results in order to return to work. However, the majority of the police force is healthy and working. In the duration of time since the first case appeared a week or so ago, the schedule has been continually covered and there has been no lapse in service.”

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