The Franklin County, Fla., Sheriff's Office scolded a Georgia state senator this week after it was revealed that the politician had travelled to the county after testing positive for COVID-19, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

According to the newspaper, the state senator, Bruce Thompson (R), arrived at his property in St. George Island on Tuesday, about a week after he confirmed on Facebook that he had tested positive for the virus.

“A week and a half ago, I came down with flu like symptoms. When the symptoms first started, I left the capitol immediately, reached out to my doctor, and went home to self-quarantine. Because of my symptoms, I skipped the legislative special session and remained away from the public,” he said in a Facebook post March 22.

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“On Monday, my condition had worsened and I was admitted to the ER/ICU. Last night, I was released and returned home. I have now received confirmation that my Coronavirus test came back positive,” he also said in the post. "While I am feeling much better, I plan to remain at home in self-quarantine for the immediate future.”

In a statement obtained by the Tallahassee Democrat on Wednesday, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office said its staff was “not happy that a lawmaker is refusing to stay in Atlanta in quarantine, rather bringing it to our county to stay in his vacation home.”

Franklin County Sheriff A.J. Smith also knocked the state senator for his decision to visit the county, which he said had not reported any cases of the virus up until his arrival.

"He’s got #stayhome on his Facebook page and he’s down here in Florida in a county that has no cases and he tested positive," Smith told the paper in a statement.

"His driver’s licenses is Georgia. His voter’s registration is in Georgia, so just practice what you preach and don’t come here. It’s ridiculous. It’s so selfish of this person to do this,” he added.

The Hill has reached out to Thompson’s office for comment.

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According to the latest data from the Florida Department of Health, more than 6,900 cases of the virus have been recorded in the state as well as 87 deaths.

The report comes as public fears over the virus continue to mount as the number of cases sees a rapid rise in the country.

Trump administration officials and health experts across the country have urged the public to avoid discretionary travel and large gatherings in the weeks ahead in an attempt to limit the spread of the disease.

So far, John Hopkins University data has recorded more than 885,000 cases of the disease worldwide. Data also shows that more than 44,200 people have died from the virus, while more than 180,000 people have recovered.