Lewiston Police Department reports 11 cases of COVID-19

LEWISTON — Eleven people at the Lewiston Police Department have tested positive for COVID-19.

Ten of those who tested positive are police officers, according to Lewiston police Lt. David St. Pierre. One is a civilian employee.

The department released a statement Wednesday confirming the outbreak and saying it is now in the process of testing all employees, including officers, administration and civilian staff.

The department said it is also working with the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention to ensure that safety guidelines and protocols are being followed and to get guidance for moving forward with this outbreak.

Eleven people at the Lewiston Police Department have tested positive for COVID-19. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

“At this time we are continuing police operations, though the public may find certain administrative functions have been scaled back,” the statement read. “We are urging employees to remain home if they do not feel well and are continuing to take additional steps to ensure our employees and the public remain safe. This includes having some staff members working remotely, continuing to regularly sanitize work areas, cruisers, etc.”

The statement emphasized that the department continues to provide necessary law enforcement and respond to emergency calls. By policy, all police officers are required to wear masks at the station and when out in public.

St. Pierre said the 11 infected employees are not working.

The positive tests were received over the past couple of days, according to St. Pierre. He said the department doesn’t know how the outbreak began but is following Maine CDC advice for contract tracing.