20 Sunland Park police officers test negative for virus, are freed from quarantine

SUNLAND PARK, New Mexico -- Twenty Sunland Park Police Department officers are now back on the job after a coronavirus scare.

The group has all tested negative for Covid-19, Deputy Police Chief Eric Lopez told ABC-7 on Monday afternoon.

The officers had been quarantined at home since late last week after one of their colleagues was diagnosed with the virus.

Because the police department is so small, the mayor had told ABC-7 the decision was made to quarantine them all to avoid a risk of exposure to the community.

The Dona Ana County Sheriff's Office and the New Mexico State Police were providing assistance to Sunland Park at Mayor Javier Perea's request until the test results came back Monday morning clearing the city's police force to return to work.