Sheriff Jim Hammond was informed on Wednesday that he had been in direct contact with someone who had just tested positive with COVID-19. Later, he said he had taken his chief of staff, Gino Bennett, to the hospital. Mr. Bennett is now in intensive care.
As a safety precaution, Sheriff Hammond said he immediately visited a local medical facility where he received a rapid response COVID-19 test.
He said he tested positive and is currently asymptomatic.
Out of an abundance of caution, contact tracing has begun regarding those who have been in contact with the sheriff, including his family, friends and co-workers.
In a Zoom press conference on Wednesday night, Sheriff Hammond said, “I am currently asymptomatic and I encourage anyone who may have been in direct contact with me to consult our local health department guidelines.”
“I was involved in helping one of our staff members the other day who was having a medical issue.
That person was then diagnosed with COVID and is now in the ICU. I thought it would be wise to get tested since I was in the hospital with them and trying to help them. I was told today I tested positive. I will quarantine for the next 10 days, and I am showing no symptoms.
“It’s been at least four days since I was around this person, who is my chief of staff Gino Bennett. He gave me permission to tell you he was experiencing (symptoms). He’s in ICU and was experiencing medical issues, such as a foot operation, and he got pneumonia. They put him in ICU to give him the best treatment he can to get beyond this.”
Sheriff Hammond said there are several other members of his staff quarantining at this time, but none have tested positive as of today. He said others who have been in close proximity with him have also voluntarily quarantined. He said Mr. Bennett had not been in the office in over a week.
The sheriff said, “I’m doing a lot of Zoom meetings to make sure that we keep everything moving as things need to. As you know, we’re on a hard deadline to convert Silverdale over to the Sheriff’s Office by the end of the year, so this is one time Zoom really assists.”
Sheriff Hammond said he wore a mask while attending Monday’s Pachyderm Club meeting, aside from when he was eating. He told media the sheriff’s office still held the stance that they would not write tickets for non-compliance with mask mandates unless they were requested to do so by a business.
“If a merchant calls us and says they have someone who refuses to wear a mask after being asked and refuse to leave, then we will go to the scene, and if that person refuses to mask up, we will issue a citation. That has been our policy since the beginning.”
He said, “My opinion is that masks cannot hurt. They are a bother, even for the people who believe in them. I believe masking is an individual choice when it comes to being around other people and in the street. If you’re in a crowd, you should wear a mask. And if you’re asked to wear one, you should be kind enough to tell the person you should mask up or leave.”