“It was a rough period,” Castillo said. “After so many months, it’s normal that there’s COVID fatigue but those precautions we’re taking is what’s saving us from having a major issue.”
The head COVID-19 researcher at Fort Lauderdale, Battalion Chief Garrett Pingol, tells NBC 6 Investigators more than 200 employees had to quarantine in 2020, with 51 confirmed cases.
Pingol was one of them. So was his spouse.
“By day two or three, the body aches were tremendous. It hurt to sleep. There were points when rolling over in bed was uncomfortable,” he said.
Pingol believes they got infected out of work, adding his department has implemented a number of protocols to flatten the curve and keep staff safe, from a testing pilot to rigorous cleaning.