FRANKLIN, N.C. (AP) - A North Carolina sheriff’s office has been designated as a COVID-19 cluster after six members of the department staff tested positive, health officials said.
The Macon County Health Department reported the tests results in a Facebook post on Friday, The Charlotte Observer reported. The health department said the sheriff’s office is aware of the exposure and are being contacted for testing.
Clusters are defined as instances of five or more infections diagnosed within a 14-day period, all with what is termed as “plausible linkage,” the department said.
The health department said it is searching for additional close contacts to see how far the infections have spread. Anyone who came within six feet of an infected employee for 10 minutes or longer is at risk, officials said.
The sheriff’s office shared the health department’s report on its Facebook page, but declined to comment.
Franklin, the seat of Macon County, is 183 miles (294 kilometers) west of Charlotte.
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