42 Surrey RCMP officers, 10 staff sidelined by COVID-19
Posted January 5, 2022 7:22 pm.
Last Updated January 6, 2022 2:47 pm.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated, following confirmation that the number of Surrey RCMP members off the job due to COVID-19 has doubled from 21 to 42.
Dozens of Surrey RCMP officers are currently off the job due to COVID-19.
Sgt. Elenore Sturko confirmed Thursday that 42 officers and 10 civilian members have been sidelined due to COVID-19.
However, she says eight members are “ready to return” and the 42 officers affected include members who are still awaiting test results.
The number of Mounties in Surrey confirmed off duty due to COVID on Thursday was double the figure shared with CityNews on Wednesday.
However, Sturko has said staffing levels are stable, and operations aren’t being impacted.
“As we see across many types of agencies and businesses right now, in British Columbia, there are large numbers of people who are contracting COVID. We’ve sort of anticipated these types of things potentially happening,” she said.
“We want to assure people that although we’re definitely impacted like other agencies, we’ve taken steps, we’ve done some careful planning. We’ve done this before where we’ve gone through difficult times in COVID and we’re going to do it again as a community.”
Update from @SurreyRCMP which says there are 42 officers affected by COVID, "but eight are ready to return and the number includes members waiting for test results who may not have COVID." About a dozen civilian members are still off work as well. @CityNewsVAN. https://t.co/YT1yBu0gcQ
— Sonia Aslam (@SoniaSAslam) January 6, 2022
On Tuesday, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said workplaces could see one in three workers out sick due to COVID-19 as cases surge due to the highly transmissible Omicron variant. She urged businesses to have contingency plans in place to avoid closure.
“The rate of transmission that we’re seeing now in British Columbia … means that at this point, most people in B.C. likely have a friend or family member or a colleague who has been infected with the Omicron variant,” she said.
“It means health-care workers and educators who aren’t able to go to work because they’re ill … thankfully, because of our vaccinations, that will be a mostly mild illness. But the interruption to our business continuity is something that we now need to think more carefully about.”
RELATED: B.C. businesses urged to have contingency plans to prevent Omicron spread
Sturko says Mounties are able to move people into different roles if necessary, shifting more officers to wherever they are needed most in the event of a shortage due to sickness.
“This Omicron variant. We do have measures in place that we’re prepared to use in order to make sure that we keep that frontline policing, keep that public safety our number one priority,” she says.
“We have many, many layers of individuals of different ranks. We’re all willing to step up there. We’re not even nearly in any crisis situation here, we’re actually doing very well.”
Between sworn officers and civilians, there are approximately 1,100 people employed by the Surrey RCMP.
The Vancouver Police Department would not say if any members have tested positive, but provided CityNews with a statement.
“We aren’t providing numbers for members who are sick, but we don’t currently have concerns about our staffing levels or our ability to provide service,” it read.
In Winnipeg, the city’s police force has declared a state of emergency with about 15 per cent of the force sidelined due to the virus.
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With files from Nikitha Martins
