Sheriff Bobby McCallum reported on Thursday that 4 members of the LCSO staff had tested positive for COVID 19. These employees came from the Law Enforcement, Detention and Administrative Divisions of the Sheriff’s Office. Test results for additional employees are pending.
In the early stages of the COVID outbreak, all LCSO employees were deemed “essential.” This means that staff members are not eligible for paid leave due to the pandemic. Sheriff’s Office employees remain eligible for all Workers’ Compensation benefits when they are infected during the course of their employment and thus will remain paid if required to quarantine.
McCallum stated that “Unfortunately the nature of our work does not allow for complete social distancing from the citizens as well as our co-workers.” The Sheriff expects the number of positive cases to increase but the staff is doing everything they can to minimize any increase. As of this date, no inmates housed at the Levy County Detention Center have tested positive for COVID 19.
LCSO was operating short staffed in the Telecommunications, Detention and Law Enforcement Divisions prior to onset of COVID 19. The positive cases among staff will add a degree of difficulty as they work to carry out their mission.