STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- About 3,200 NYPD officers were out sick Wednesday, of which 322 have tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19).

On Staten Island, about 24 officers have tested positive for the virus, and more have been tested with results pending, according to law enforcement sources.

In total, Police Department numbers are about triple the normal rate, according to a statement Wednesday by NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea.

Not every precinct on Staten Island has been impacted the same.

The 121st Precinct in Graniteville was dealing with about 10 cases on Thursday, while the 122nd Precinct in New Dorp had multiple tests pending, but as of mid-week zero positives, sources told the Advance/SILive.com.

The men & women of the NYPD are out in force to keep people safe in every NYC neighborhood.



From cops at schools for lunch pick-ups, to cleaning crews

sanitizing our work spaces, they all remain committed.



Read my message to the members of the NYPD➡️https://t.co/nw6FYlQBpD pic.twitter.com/3xGM8StZwr — Commissioner Shea (@NYPDShea) March 26, 2020

MAYOR TALKS MANPOWER ISSUES

Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday at a press conference that currently there is not a concern of a manpower shortage within the NYPD or FDNY, saying both departments have a “deep bench."

The mayor said he’s spoken with Shea about how to potentially use department employees in different ways to fill gaps if need be, and that he would expect any officers out sick who don’t have the coronavirus to return within a week or so.

“I would further remind you that there’s no one taking vacations now," de Blasio said.

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As of Thursday morning, no officers at the 121st Precinct had to switch roles or work outside their wheelhouse in response to colleagues calling in sick, a source with ties to that precinct said.

When asked at the press conference Wednesday if the city at any point would consider enlisting the help of either the U.S. military or other law enforcement agencies to potentially help in maintaining order across the city, de Blasio replied, “we’re no where near that at this point.”

A DIFFERENT WORLD

An NYPD squad car slowly patrolled the parking lot of a New Dorp shopping plaza on Wednesday, with a pre-recorded message playing on loop from the loudspeaker, instructing residents to practice social distancing.

For a job that calls for people skills, it has become increasingly more difficult for New York City cops to interact with people from behind masks, and if at all possible, from a distance.

“It’s a whole new world,” explained an officer on the borough’s East Shore, where last week the city’s first drive-through coronavirus testing site was erected, complete with large tents labeled “Hot Zone,” and digital signs along Capodanno Boulevard reading “Windows up at all times.”

On Friday, the Police Benevolent Association (PBA) posted photos of “social distancing” at a funeral for an officer described as a “9/11 hero.”

NYC POs have always stood patch-to-patch to salute the fallen. #SocialDistancing is our new reality, but the respect remains the same. #RIP 9/11 hero TBTF P.O. Pedro Garcia: when our city was under attack, he put himself in harm's way to protect NYers. #FidelisAdMortem pic.twitter.com/TeYSNHFvbv — NYC PBA (@NYCPBA) March 23, 2020

CHECKING ON BUSINESSES

Also part of that “new world” for cops is a job description that now includes checking on businesses across the city to ensure they’re closed in accordance with the mandated shutdown.

On Tuesday, officers visited a total of about 9,500 restaurants, bars, markets, salons, personal care facilities and public places, of which about 7,500 were closed, according to a press release from the NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Pubic Information’s (DCPI) office.

De Blasio said Wednesday that some of the city’s basketball courts have become an issue, where residents continue to play in groups. The city would be removing hoops from 10 sites on the borough and 80 citywide as a result.

According to the latest DCPI report, the daily patrols "continue to demonstrate the incredible cooperation by New Yorkers in undertaking the shared responsibility of social distancing and stopping the spread of the virus.”

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