City of El Paso’s health department director on personal leave amid the coronavirus pandemic

EL PASO, Texas – ABC-7 has learned the director of the City of El Paso’s Public Health Department is currently on a personal leave during the coronavirus pandemic, which had resulted in 68 confirmed cases as of Wednesday night.

ABC-7 questioned the impact on the department's operations during the outbreak with director Robert Resendes away from his duties.

The city offered this statement in response: "The Office of Emergency Management takes the lead in addressing operations and staffing to address the event at hand. In every department we have second-level managers to support or continue leading the department."

The city offered no explanation as to the reason for Resendes’ leave or how long he’ll be away from his duties.