NYPD Commissioner Shea distributed a memo over the weekend suggesting the police department would "suffer" as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, NBC News exclusively learned Sunday.

Commissioner Dermot Shea sent a 4-page memo to the NYPD's 55,000 officers and civilian members telling them that starting Monday schedules will be staggered and non-essential civilian employees will work from home. In the memo, Shea said approximately 30 employees were already under a self-quarantine out of an abundance of caution.

Shea said "we will, without a doubt suffer," and warned that "many members may become ill."

NBC News Exclusive: NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea tells his cops in an internal memo that the Department will "suffer" as a result of Coronavirus but vows "we will stand with you".



Details on what the largest police department is doing to fight the virus https://t.co/iUpXyCfBBb pic.twitter.com/EzvOPgF3rm — Tom Winter (@Tom_Winter) March 15, 2020

He also told the department that personal protective equipment would be made available to those on the front lines.

On Saturday, a school safety officer working at a Queens elementary school tested positive for COVID-19, sources familiar with the case told News 4. A city hall spokesperson and NYPD spokesperson both declined to comment.

A union official told News 4 the safety officer is believed to have contracted the virus from her husband who works as a taxi driver.