City officer has virus

Staff Report

A Tallassee police officer has the coronavirus, mayor Johnny Hammock confirmed on Tuesday, April 14.

"One employee has tested positive with the city," Hammock said. "It had been four or five days since she had been there. We got a thermometer and were testing all to check before they came into the building. She was not around a lot of people."

Police chief Matt Higgins spoke of how his department is combating the dangers of COVID-19.

"We made a decision to lessen the amount of people in the office and put them out on the street to keep an eye on things," Higgins stated. "If you're alone inside the little bubble of your car you have less chance of coming in contact with each other. We're still coming in contact with the public, but we've tried to lessen that."

Hammock has put measures in place at City Hall as well.

"One of my employees has a wife who is a physical therapist," said Hammock. "She's not showing any symptoms, but one of her patients is positive for COVID-19, so her employer sat her at home for 14 days. I told him to stay at the house with her."

There was another city employee that had symptoms but was negative for the virus.

"That person was cleared," Hammock noted. "A lot of people have their allergies flare up that makes it a little scary this time of the year."

GKN Aerospace in Tallassee confirmed a positive case this week and shut down operations until Wednesday, April 15.

"The health and safety of employees is our top priority," GKN Media and Communications Manager Wesley Bates said. "Following a single confirmed case of cornavirus at our Tallassee manufacturing facility, we have decided to extend the Easter break and temporarily pause production for a deep clean."

As of April 14, 62 people have died in Alabama from coronavirus with 3,800 confirmed cases statewide.