Detroit health chief: City has 414 confirmed cases of COVID-19

Mayor says 14 city employees, including 9 police officers, tested positive

FILE - This Dec. 5, 2019, photo shows the Detroit skyline. Detroit Charter Commission Vice Chair Nicole Small said the city, with one of the nations largest African American-majorities, has been hit particularly hard by foreclosures since the height of the mortgage crisis in 2008. Small said homeowners need relief beyond whats being offered in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File) (Carlos Osorio, Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

DETROIT – The city of Detroit has more than 400 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus outbreak.

Denise Fair, the chief public health officer of the Detroit Health Department, announced the figure -- 414 confirmed cases, to be exact -- during a news conference with the mayor on Monday. That’s up from what the city was reporting Monday morning -- 349 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Four Detroit residents infected with COVID-19 have died, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

“We must all work even hard to remain at least 6 feet away from each other ... cover your coughs or sneezes with your sleeve or tissue. Wash your hands with soap and water, and if you don’t have soap around you can use hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol,” said Fair.

The state of Michigan has reported 15 COVID-19-related deaths and more than 1,000 confirmed cases. The number of confirmed cases is expected to increase when the state releases new data Monday afternoon.

Mayor Mike Duggan said 14 Detroit city employees, including 9 police officers, have tested positive for COVID-19. Duggan said there are 282 Detroit Police Department officers being quarantined and 152 of them will be back to work by the end of the week.

“We need to let this virus die out. We need you to stay home,” said Duggan as he preached his support for the governor’s stay-at-home order. “The people that are listening to me today have the power to choke this virus off.”

The mayor said this is an unprecedented time when people can contribute to the wealth of society by simply staying home and playing video games.

More: Michigan ‘stay-at-home’ order: Here’s who’s considered ‘critical infrastructure workers’