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Fairburn Police employee dies from COVID-19

Cheryl Catron was described as an 'important part of our team, someone that worked tirelessly to keep us up and running.'

FAIRBURN, Ga. — An administrative aide at the Fairburn Police Department died from COVID-19 on Friday night, the department announced Tuesday.

Cheryl Catron was described in a release by Fairburn Police Chief Stoney Mathis as an "important part of our team, someone that worked tirelessly to keep us up and running."

Te chief said Catron fell ill and left work on Wednesday and was hospitalized the next day, before she passed the next night.

RELATED: Coronavirus in Georgia: Confirmed cases spike to 8,818 with 329 deaths

Mathis said news of her death was not immediately released because they were awaiting confirmation she had tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

"We are heartbroken here," Mathis said. "Losing a member of our Fairburn family is an awful thing to endure. Our thoughts and prayers are with Cheryl's family, friends, and all those she loved. She will be greatly missed and never forgotten."

A GoFundMe for Catron's memorial was started by her family.

The department says its lobby and administrative offices have been closed as a precaution, and several staff that had direct contact with Catron are now under quarantine.

"Our officers are still serving the needs of the community and are distancing themselves from others as much as their job allows," Mathis said."Our detectives are working on rotation, and some are working from home, to avoid being together in one office."

"We are continuing to stay in touch with Cheryl’s family and will share information about the arrangements as that information becomes available, and as approved by her family to respect their privacy," the release added.

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