Boston police, fire maintain staffing, despite COVID wave

Boston's police and fire departments say they have so far avoided the severe staffing shortages that have roiled other cities in recent weeks because of the surge in COVID cases sweeping the country.

In New York City, 20% of all police officers at the NYPD have reportedly called out sick. And in Los Angeles, a thousand police and firefighters are said to be out because of COVID.

Boston police spokesman Sgt. Det. John Boyle said the department has been "impacted" by the coronavirus, but insisted there are still adequate employees to patrol the city. He declined to say how many officers are sick or comment on staffing levels, citing public safety concerns.

The Boston Fire Department, meanwhile, said it has not yet seen an uptick in sick calls.

State police and Boston emergency medical services did not respond to questions about how COVID has impacted their staffing levels.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said Wednesday that more than 1,000 Boston Public Schools staff, including 650 teachers, were out.