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Champaign Police Officer Tests Positive For COVID-19

Champaign Police Cars

CHAMPAIGN – The city of Champaign announced late Thursday night that a police officer has tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

In a press release, the city said the officer is at home in isolation and does not need hospitalization. 

The city did not release any other information about the officer’s identity, citing privacy policies.

City employees who may have come into contact with the officer have been directed to self-quarantine.

On Thursday, the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District reported there are 46 cases of COVID-19 in the county. Sixteen people are in the hospital. Six patients have recovered. 

The announcement came less than 24 hours after a Chicago police officer died of COVID-19.  Officer Marco Di Franco, 50, is the first member of the Chicago force to die from the disease. He passed away at a Park Ridge hospital around 1:00 a.m. on Thursday.

In hard-hit New York City, CNBC reports more than 1,000 police officers have contracted COVID-19. A NYC detective lost his life last Sunday due to complications caused by the coronavirus.

Picture of Reginald Hardwick

Reginald Hardwick

Reginald Hardwick is the News & Public Affairs Director for the Illinois Newsroom. He started at WILL in October of 2019 after serving as News Director for WKAR in East Lansing, Michigan. Previously, he was a news producer and manager at the NBC station in Dallas, where he won 7 Emmy awards. Born in Vietnam, Reginald is a graduate of the University of Northern Colorado. Email: rh14@illinois.edu Twitter: @RNewsWILL

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