Three Boston police officers test positive for COVID-19, making a total of four

Three Boston police officers have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, bringing to four the number of officers in the department who have contracted the illness, a spokesman said Wednesday.

All four male officers are at home self-quarantining while they recover and have not required hospitalization, according to Sergeant Detective John Boyle, the spokesman.

Boyle did not identify the officers or say where in the department they worked, but he said the three new officers who tested positive were not in contact with the first officer infected. Police are investigating whether they may have been exposed to the virus while on duty, Boyle said.

He added that the department remains fully staffed and is planning ahead so it can continue serving the city in the event of additional infections among officers.

“We have adequate staffing in the Boston Police Department, and we will continue to provide police services to the City of Boston,” Boyle said by phone.

Officers have been issued protective gear recommended by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help block transmission of the virus, he said.

“We’re following the CDC first responder guidelines, and officers have been given personal protective equipment,” Boyle said. “For officer safety, we’re not releasing what kind of personal protective equipment the officers have been supplied with.”