Four police officers quarantined here

by Dan McClelland

Three state troopers stationed in Tupper Lake and one village police officer were in quarantine in past weeks, as a result of their exposure to a state trooper trainee who was in Tupper Lake recently and who has tested positive to the coronavirus.

Mayor Paul Maroun told the Free Press Friday that earlier last week there were two village police officers out on sick leave, but one was unrelated to the Covid-19 pandemic. That officer is now back to work, according to the mayor.

The second officer came out of quarantine Monday and is going back to work. He hasn't been tested but is showing no symptoms of the virus, the mayor said. He noted that the only people getting tested at Alice Hyde Hospital in Malone or Adirondack Health in Saranac Lake are those showing symptoms and in-patients in the two hospitals in Franklin County.

The mayor said that so far no other village employees are currently in quarantine.

As a county legislator Mr. Maroun meets via conference call with the other county legislators each morning for a briefing from Katie Strack, the Franklin County Department of Health director. That office is monitoring all the “official quarantines” and positive cases in the county and as of Friday there were eight. There were nine positive cases of Covid-19 on Monday, but none of them were in Tupper Lake.

Mr. Maroun said he is also in almost daily contact with the New York State Police in Ray Brook.

He said none of the three Tupper Lake-based troopers in quarantine were tested as they showed no symptoms. Their quarantines are now over and they are returning to work this week, he noted.

The mayor said the trainee that was in contact with the four officers has since returned home. During his time here with the officers they were all in a car together and visited the Tupper Lake Village Police Department. According to the mayor both the car and the entire station have been cleaned thoroughly and in his words, “sanitized.”

As a result of the incident the police station in the emergency services building is now closed to the public, he added.