Charges were dropped against a west Georgia woman who had been exposed to the coronavirus, but refused to self-quarantine, authorities said Wednesday.

The woman had been ordered to isolate herself after her boyfriend tested positive for the virus, the Haralson County Sheriff’s Office said.

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The woman was spotted April 7 in Tallapoosa, and citizens called police, who arrested her. She was charged with criminal trespassing.

“Due to the fact that she has been directly exposed to COVID-19, we are unable to house her in our jail because we cannot expose other inmates to this virus,” the sheriff’s office posted on Facebook.

Instead, she was temporarily housed by herself in a camper to avoid potentially spreading the virus to others. After testing negative for the coronavirus, the Tallapoosa police department dropped the charge and the woman was released, the Haralson Sheriff’s Office said.

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Joe Rich had moved to 3935 Paces Manor 2.5 year ago. on Tuesday, Sept. 22,2009, he was trapped at his house with no way out - but a boat. He has been ferrying various things back and forth and is surprised he still has power. Vinings residents were dealing with a major flooding issue Tuesday, as the Chattahoochee River made its way along the banks near Paces Ferry Road.  Many residents with upscale homes were hit hard, some for the second time since an earlier post millennia flooding episode. Since early Monday, seven lives have been taken and several other people remain missing. The record-setting rains also have closed schools and roads and have left people stranded in their homes. The river's level near Vinings was at 27.36 feet before daybreak Tuesday after cresting at 28.1 feet overnight. Flood stage is 14 feet, and anything above 20 feet is considered "major" flooding. (Photo: John Spink, jspink@ajc.com)

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Former CDC employee Barbara Marston (right) protests the recent firings and budget cuts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. Tuesday, April 01, 2025 (Ben Hendren for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Credit: Ben Hendren