Knox County to furlough workers amid COVID-19 pandemic

Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs announced that the county planned to furlough some employees amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jacobs made the announcement Friday afternoon, days after his office released a

.

The county said the furlough will impact employees in the fee offices and every executive branch department.

According to a release, furloughed employees will continue to receive health coverage and other benefits as well as up to $275 per week from the state and the extra $600 in unemployment.

The eight-week furlough will start on May 9, but will continue working for pay through May 8.

The county said they plan to bring everyone back to work "though furlough extensions" remain possible.

“We are facing this challenge directly and making decisions that will help us continue providing the services our residents depend on,” said Mayor Jacobs. “The decision to furlough employees was incredibly difficult and the hardest move I’ve made as Mayor. We held off as long as we could and do not take this lightly because we know it affects real people’s livelihoods. We expect these furloughs to be temporary and hope that everyone will be back to work very soon. Though this certainly isn’t something we wanted to do, we need to watch our spending during these uncertain times."

The release did not say how many employees would be furloughed.