Pinellas sheriff tested negative for coronavirus a week after diagnosis – Tampa Bay Times

Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri is feeling better a week after being diagnosed with coronavirus, he said Monday.

The sheriff said he got tested Friday at a community health center and received a negative result on Saturday, a week after his agency announced that he had come down with the virus.

He dealt with some fatigue and headaches, but it was overall a mild case, he said. He still cant taste or smell I cant even smell bleach, he said.

I have a lot of sympathy for those who have moderate and severe cases, Gualtieri said. Its terrible. Im a very lucky one to only experience the minor symptoms I did.

The sheriff added that his wife, Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Lauralee G. Westine, and their teenage daughter also tested negative.

Gualtieri worked from home following his positive result. No other Sheriffs Office employees had to take further action, a spokeswoman said at the time, because personnel had practiced appropriate social distancing in all meetings, and people are either more than six feet apart and/or wearing masks or the meetings are accomplished electronically.

The sheriff said Monday that he will ease back into in-person work. He urged caution as the virus continues to spread in Florida.

Its a nasty illness, he said. You cant figure this thing out. Thats why its so dangerous. You cant figure out how people are going to react to it.

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Pinellas sheriff tested negative for coronavirus a week after diagnosis - Tampa Bay Times