Eight Long Beach firefighters have tested positive for coronavirus, prompting a sanitizing effort at city fire station and notifications of people who may have come into contact with them, city officials announced Wednesday.
The firefighters are all in “stable condition” and are in isolation at home, according to the city.
“Our Long Beach firefighters are community heroes, and they have been on the front lines every day of this health crisis,” Mayor Robert Garcia said in a statement. “We are doing everything we can to provide support to these firefighters and their families. We recognize the seriousness of this latest development and are committed to doing all that we can to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in Long Beach.”
City officials said they are still investigating how the firefighters were exposed, but all eight had recently worked at Fire Station 11, located at 160 E. Market St. That station and all apparatus in it are being sanitized, and operations will not resume at the facility until that cleaning effort is finished.
The city of Long Beach has reported a total of 41 coronavirus cases as of Wednesday morning. That number only includes four of the affected firefighters, since the other four do not live in the city.