The chief of the Bennington Police Department, four other officers and a civilian employee have tested positive for Covid-19.
Stuart Hurd, Bennington’s town manager, said everyone affected appears to be “on the road to recovery.” According to the Bennington Banner, which first reported the outbreak, one employee was admitted into the intensive care unit because of the virus.
“The six that have tested positive are showing a variety of symptoms, some more severe than others,” Hurd said. “It’s really a very strange virus, the way it impacts people.”
Bennington Police Chief Paul Doucette was hit hard by the virus, according to the Banner, but Hurd, who spoke with Doucette Wednesday morning by phone, said he’s beginning to feel better.
The outbreak began when an officer contracted the virus outside of the department, then came to work before showing symptoms. Those exposed to the affected officer quarantined until they were tested, and the officers who tested negative returned to work.
Hurd said the town has worked closely with the Vermont Department of Health to complete contact tracing, which will help determine whether affected officers came into contact with community members.
It’s possible some could return to work before the end of the week, Hurd said, but officers who tested positive will not return to work until they test negative.
In the meantime, both the Bennington County Sheriff’s Department and Vermont Fish & Wildlife have offered assistance with patrols, but town officials say the department, which includes 26 officers, is still able to provide coverage to the town around the clock.
“We are confident that we have enough people to cover the shifts,” said Donald Campbell, who chairs Bennington’s Selectboard. “All the healthy people in the police department are stepping up and volunteering.”
“We’ve really seen no drop in our ability to respond,” Hurd said.
Campbell said the outbreak underlines the work of emergency responders, health care workers and town employees whose risks increase when community spread ramps up.
“It’s so tough on these frontline people that have to go out there and expose themselves to this disease,” Campbell said. “We’re just so grateful and thankful for these frontline workers.”
Bennington County has seen 159 new cases in the last two weeks — second only to Chittenden County, with 465 new cases. Town officials urge community members to use the asymptomatic testing site located at Bennington Rescue, which is free, staffed by Southern Vermont Health Center employees, and open six days a week.
Megan Herrington, director of the Vermont Department of Health Bennington District Office, said the office has increased its outbreak prevention and response measures in the county.
“It’s busy in Bennington,” she said. “Our sister districts in other places are helping us and vice versa.”
She added that Bennington County’s recent spike in cases may be related to the holiday season.
“Thinking about our current situation, which is not atypical, a multi-household gathering can kind of spill over into work sites and work sites can eventually spill over into general community transmission,” she said.
Because Bennington is so close to the New York and Massachusetts borders, Herrington said it’s hard to tell exactly where the cases are coming from, but that the department has “reason to believe this could be a homegrown situation.”
Campbell urged residents to follow the state’s guidelines.
“We can’t blame this on somebody else,” he said. “I know everyone’s being really careful, but we’re not being careful enough.”
