As Lakewood Township came together to lay to rest officer Nicklas Schimonovich, another danger was lurking. Health officials have determined that at least one, possibly more attendees at the funeral service held at First Energy Stadium have tested positive for COVID-19. The Ocean County Health Department said, through its contact tracing efforts many others may have come in contact with infected individuals.
“There may have been different exposures over the course of a couple of days potentially with all the different activities involved. I don’t think it points to any specific event. I think the combination of the family coming together and the process of a few days of interaction could have exposed different people,” said Daniel Regeneye, Ocean County Health Department Coordinator.
The Lakewood Police Department and township have said that between 14 and 20 officers have been asked to quarantine. Lakewood Mayor Ray Coles said that COVID-19 tests will be made available for all members of the police department and warned that officers from other visiting departments may have also been exposed to the virus.
