DeKalb jail operations supervisor tests positive for COVID-19

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A DeKalb County jail operations supervisor has tested positive for COVID-19, the sheriff’s office announced Tuesday.

The 45-year-old woman is the second employee at the DeKalb jail to test positive for the highly contagious disease, agency spokeswoman Cynthia Williams said in a news release. The employees have not been identified.

Two inmates at the jail have also tested positive, authorities said. They remain isolated from the rest of the jail’s population.

» COMPLETE COVERAGE: Coronavirus in Georgia

According to Williams, the jail supervisor regularly accompanied Sheriff Melody Maddox on her walks through the facility.

Maddox was screened by doctors remotely Tuesday after learning of the employee’s diagnosis, Williams said. So far, the sheriff has not exhibited any symptoms.

It’s unclear if she will be tested, but Maddox said she plans to remain at work.

“Although I have been medically-cleared to continue working, I am more keenly aware that no one is exempt from this threat,” Maddox said in a statement. “Our challenge is that this agency never closes, and we are constantly in proximity to each other and individuals from throughout the community.”

At least 14 inmates have tested positive at the Fulton County Jail, officials said Monday, including nine who tested positive in a 24-hour period.

» RELATED: Sheriff: 14 Fulton jail inmates have contracted COVID-19

One of the inmates remains hospitalized but the others are being treated in an isolation unit inside the jail, authorities said.

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