Jill Schramm/MDN Minot Public Schools Supt. Mark Vollmer speaks at a news briefing Tuesday in City Hall on the school’s continuing education plans in light of building closures due to COVID-19.

A Minot police officer is in quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19, and five other department employees are being sequestered.

Minot Mayor Shaun Sipma said the officer began showing symptoms and was isolated last Thursday. Testing confirmed the coronavirus over the weekend.

“I’m glad to say that they are doing fine and self isolating,” Sipma said. “We have also isolated five members of our internal staff that have also come into contact with that officer. Now this does not affect our ability to respond to emergencies in our community and we will continue to follow First District Health’s guidelines.”

He added several firefighters were in isolation due to interaction with someone suspected of having been compromised. However, he later reported only one was isolated because others were determined not to be at risk after further investigation. The fire department case is not connected with the police department case.

Minot Fire Chief Kelli Kronschnabel said in a news release that the firefighter is self-isolating at home as a precaution after being exposed to residents who recently returned to Minot from another state during a call for service late last week.

There have been nine positive COVID-19 cases in Ward County.

Sipma also asked that anyone contacting Central Dispatch on an emergency call indicate if they are self isolating or if there is a confirmed COVID-19 case on the premises where the response is needed so precautions can be taken.

“We will not turn away or deny any emergency call. You will get the same emergency response, but we do need to have that information up front so that we can properly protect our first responders and our health professionals,” he said.

Under current protocols, Minot firefighters and police do not respond to a medical emergency until Community Ambulance arrives unless the emergency is extreme and critical.

“Emergency responders are trained and know how to protect themselves against infectious disease,” said Lisa Clute, executive director at First District Health Unit. “So this isn’t something new because of COVID. It’s just that we are also very conscious of the protective gear that we’re utilizing, and we want that utilized in the best way possible.”

Dr. Jeffrey Sather, chief of staff at Trinity, said there’s been discussions to make sure first responders have adequate gear. There are shortage areas, which has prompted sharing of supplies from those areas that are able to share, he said.

Randy Schwan, vice president at Trinity Health, where more than 40 employees are in quarantine after COVID-19 exposure from a patient being treated for a different condition, said the medical center is doing what it can to minimize exposure risk, including eliminating group meetings and disinfecting frequently. Most elective surgeries have been suspended.

A small number of the 40 sequestered employees developed symptoms but tested negative for COVID-19. They will remain in quarantine for the 14 days, and employees must be symptom-free to return to work.

“We’re trying to limit those events from happening, but we know that we cannot prevent them from happening. We have a very flexible system, where we can backfill and re-assign folks who are very talented to take the place of those who are on quarantine. We’ll continue to do that when we have to. We prefer not to do that. So we’re very, very diligent on all of those kinds of practices we’ve outlined,” Schwan said.

He said the same exposure risks and quarantines are happening at other hospitals in the state and the country.

“It is not going to be totally preventable,” he said.

Sather said Trinity was the first hospital to require all clinical staff wear masks all the time.

“We are treating this like anybody and everybody could potentially have it. That’s the only way you can protect because you never know who that asymptomatic carrier might be,” he said.

Regarding the mask supply, Schwan said Trinity has an adequate supply for now. It also has an adequate supply of COVID-19 testing kits.

Concerns have been raised in the community regarding people congregating in the city’s parks, which the Minot Park District has decided will remain open. People are urged to practice social distancing and are welcome to bring disinfecting supplies before using playground equipment. Clute said people can still get outdoors and utilize the parks but should avoid high-touch areas and maintain distance from others in the parks.

Sipma also acknowledged the economic impact the coronavirus is having on Minot and will have on city government finances.

“There’s no doubt that we will need to tighten our budget as a community,” he said. “We know that the belts across the globe are tightening.”

He said anyone having difficulty paying their city bills should contact the finance department to develop a payment plan or another solution to get through this tough time.

John MacMartin, president of the Minot Area Chamber of Commerce, asked that residents patronize their local businesses.

“Many stores are open. They are practicing social distancing. They have provided ways for people to social distance when they go in to shop,” he said. Residents who are concerned about entering stores can find many businesses with online shopping sites and curbside pickups, he added.