OKEECHOBEE — Six employees of the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office who may have been exposed to the COVID-19 virus are self-isolating at home while waiting on the test results, according to the report given by Okeechobee County Sheriff Noel Stephen at the Thursday meeting of the Okeechobee County commissioners.

The sheriff said none of the potential exposures were work related. One employee was running a fever for unknown reasons and so was tested and is self-isolating pending test results. Another was around the children of a person who they later learned tested positive for COVID-19. Another employee has a family member who is a medical professional who was exposed to someone who tested positive.

OCSO has a staff of 210. The sheriff said when employees have to stay home due to the self-isolation rules, it makes it more difficult to cover all of the shifts. He added that since schools are closed, he does have the advantage of being able to use the school resource officers for other duties.

The sheriff said all staffers are following health and safety guidelines.

He said judges have helped keep the jail population in the 240s.