Three Fort Valley firefighters test positive for COVID-19

Three Fort Valley firefighters tested positive for COVID-19, requiring the temporary closing of the Fort Valley Municipal Complex and Fire Headquarters for a deep cleaning and decontamination earlier this week.

The firefighters, who are quarantined at home, tested positive last week, Publilc Safety Director Lawrence Spurgeon said Wednesday.

“We are trying to use proactive measures to protect our citizens and city employees by sanitizing the city hall, requiring mask and conducting temperature checks,” Spurgeon posted on Facebook. “We have taken the added step of professional cleaning because we did have three positive people walk around city hall and conduct business before they knew they were positive and before they knew they had even been exposed.”

The city hired a professional cleaning company to sanitize the building that houses city hall and fire headquarters Monday. The building has reopened to the public, Spurgeon said in an interview.

Additionally, all other city firefighters and police officers were tested for COVID-19 with negative results, Spurgeon said.

Before the three firefighters tested positive, the mayor and council members had decided to continue to conduct city business remotely for at least the next three months, according to the Facebook post.

“All efforts are being made so that business can be conducted with minimal or no interruption to the citizens of Fort Valley,” the post read.