Lumpkin deputy tests positive for COVID-19

Image
  • The Lumpkin County Sheriff's Office is currently closed to foot traffic as part of coronavirus precautions.
    The Lumpkin County Sheriff's Office is currently closed to foot traffic as part of coronavirus precautions.
Body

A coronavirus test that was taken as a precaution for a Lumpkin County Sheriff's Office deputy last month has reportedly come back as positive.
However that deputy has been off-duty since March 26, awaiting the results of the test, according to officials.
“I’m told it first came back as strep throat,” said Sheriff Stacy Jarrard via phone on Monday. “But they did a test [for coronavirus] just to be safe and it came back as positive yesterday.”
In order to remain in compliance with health privacy laws Jarrard is declining to release the name, or even gender, of the deputy.
But he would say that the officer has fully recovered and is feeling fine.
In fact, a physician has cleared the deputy for a return to work.
Jarrard said he’s waiting for a negative coronavirus test from the deputy before the officer is allowed back on duty.
“I’m thankful the officer is doing better,” he said. “But I hate that it took so long for the test results to get back.”
The positive diagnosis was the second recent county government related coronavirus case of the week.
Last week, County Manager Stan Kelley announced that a person working at the Lumpkin County Justice Center had come into contact with a friend who later tested positive for COVID-19.
“They are now in quarantine, but they were in the Justice Center all week,” he said.
A decontamination company was scheduled to fog the building Monday. County employees were to thoroughly clean the building Tuesday, and the Justice Center should reopen today, Wednesday.
As of press-time, the total of local coronavirus-related cases stood at nine, as reported by the Georgia Department of Public Health.