Rockdale County Sheriff Eric Levett has tested positive for COVID-19, he announced Saturday.
In a statement posted to the sheriff’s office Facebook page earlier this week, Levett said he had been self-isolating at home since last Friday after experiencing symptoms at work.
After coming down with symptoms and leaving work early, Levett said he was informed that an employee with whom he’d had contact had tested positive.
“I had gone into a 14-day quarantine per my primary physician because I was not feeling well,” he said. “During this time I also advised everyone that I had been tested for COVID-19 and that I would provide an update on my test results as soon as I received them.”
On Saturday, Levett said he received a call from the Georgia Department of Public Health informing him of his positive result.
“Although this was not the news that I was expecting, it just further let me know how seriously we all need to take this epidemic and abide by the orders that have been put in place,” he said in a statement. “I would like to take this time to thank everyone for the calls, texts, and prayers for me and my family as well as my staff. My ultimate goal right now is to continue to make sure that my staff is protected as best as we can protect them and that the county is taken care of.”
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As of Saturday afternoon, Rockdale County had 70 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and two deaths caused by the virus, according to health officials. I addition to Levett, four other sheriff’s office employees have tested positive for COVID-19, officials said.
Sheriff’s office spokesman deputy Lee Thomas said that so far no inmates at the Rockdale County Jail have tested positive.
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