COVID-19 infects ‘multiple’ sheriff employees in North Carolina mountain town
Employees of a sheriff’s office in the North Carolina mountains are quarantining at home after developing COVID-19 symptoms at work, health and law enforcement officials said.
“Multiple” employees of the Macon County Sheriff’s Office in Franklin became ill in recent days and were tested for COVID-19, Sheriff Robert Holland posted on Facebook Wednesday.
“Some were at work when they became ill but immediately went home when they started having symptoms,” the sheriff said. He said the symptoms ranged from mild to severe, and some who tested positive had not yet developed any symptoms.
Some of the test results came back positive, while officials were awaiting the results of several more tests, according to Holland.
The sheriff’s office is limiting public access for the next two weeks “but will continue to provide all required and necessary services,” according to the sheriff’s post.
Holland apologized “for any inconveniences this may have caused anyone in the last few days and any in the future.”
He asked for the public’s patience and for people to remember the COVID-19-infected staff in their prayers.
In a separate post, Macon County Public Health officials said they confirmed “a cluster of employees at the Macon County Sheriff’s Office who have tested positive for COVID-19.”
A cluster is at least five people who fell ill or tested positive for the disease within two weeks, according to the health department.
“All staff who have potentially been exposed to these individuals have been contacted and will be tested for COVID-19,” Macon County Public Health posted on Facebook.
Health officials also were trying to identify any additional close contacts of the affected employees, besides those in the sheriff’s office.
This story was originally published October 3, 2020 at 9:29 AM with the headline "COVID-19 infects ‘multiple’ sheriff employees in North Carolina mountain town."