An employee of the city of Greenwood has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, Mayor Carolyn McAdams says.
McAdams said she got the news around 4:30 p.m. Friday.
The employee is now quarantined at home. McAdams was careful not to identify the employee by name, gender or position with the city in order to protect the employee’s privacy.
Two other employees who were in contact with the employee who tested positive have also been tested, but the results are still pending.
McAdams said test results for the coronavirus take about 48 hours.
It’s unclear if Leflore County’s count of confirmed cases is at eight or nine people.
The mayor released a statement on her Facebook page Thursday night that said there were four new cases, increasing the total count to eight.
However, on Friday morning, the Mississippi State Department of Health reported that there were only seven positive cases in the county. The Health Department updates its count each morning.
McAdams said she wasn’t sure if the new case would bring Leflore’s count to eight or nine cases.
Should the number of positive cases of the coronavirus in the county increase further, the mayor said she’ll consider proposing a mandate prohibiting social gatherings of 10 or more people.
That mandate would be presented to the City Council for a vote.
President Donald Trump as well as the state Department of Health have recommended that people avoid gatherings of 10 or more people as a way to prevent the spread of the virus.
Given that a number of businesses in town are complying with the mayor’s recommendations for bars to close and restaurants to offer only takeout, McAdams said a mandate may not be needed.
The mayor said that if residents in Greenwood want to avoid a “huge epidemic,” then residents need to practice social distancing.
•Contact Gerard Edic at 581-7239 or gedic@gwcommonwealth.com.
