Dozens of Winnipeg first responders off work due to COVID-19: city
Global News
Both the Winnipeg Police Service and Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service are battling COVID cases with 2 per cent and 3.8 per cent of staff infected with the virus, respectively.
Winnipeg first responders are feeling the crunch of staffing shortages as Manitoba’s Omicron wave forces some businesses and hospitals to close. Both the Winnipeg Police Service and Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service are battling COVID-19 cases.
The WPS counts 40 confirmed cases among its staff, Winnipeg Police Association president Maurice Sabourin told Global News Thursday, adding that up to about 8 per cent of its almost 2,000 members are likely on sick leave relating to the virus.
Officers working general patrol are feeling the strain with the WPS struggling to maintain minimum staffing levels, even having dropped below minimum levels in the last few days because of the number of people calling in sick, Sabourin said.
Police calls usually spike around the holidays, and Sabourin cautions Winnipeggers should expect wait times to get longer for lower priority situations.
“I don’t think the citizens of Winnipeg have to worry about in an emergency situation that police aren’t going to show up,” Sabourin said. “But … say it’s a break-in to your home or there’s no suspect or the person’s long gone, it could be an extended period that they would have to wait for a cruiser car to attend to take a call.”
Contingency plans are in place to pull personnel from specialty units to general patrol should the pandemic push even more members to self-isolate, Sabourin said. As well, he said this latest wave is exacerbating an already fragile morale among the force.
“We’re very concerned about our members and the mental well-being of our members, you know, especially during this time of year when people are hopeful to meet with their family,” Sabourin said.
“Our members don’t have the ability to work from home, and they’re out there on a daily basis interacting with people that may have COVID,” he said. “It’s been a very stressful time over the past two years … as a result of COVID, in particular.”