VALDOSTA — All Lowndes County Jail inmates are being offered testing for the COVID-19 coronavirus, according to the sheriff’s office.

Two teams from the Georgia Army National Guard started testing inmates Monday, according to a statement from the Lowndes County Sheriff’s office. The testing is voluntary and will be made available to any inmate who wants it, the statement said.

The testing was worked out with the National Guard a couple of weeks ago, Sheriff Ashley Paulk said. The testing started Monday, the sheriff said.

“It’s being done purely out of an abundance of caution,” he said. “We reached out to (the National Guard) when we heard they were doing this.”

Special housing arrangements will be made for those inmates who choose not to be tested, the statement said.

There are no known cases of COVID-19 at the jail now, Paulk said.

“Ån employee at the jail tested positive, and she was sent home to self-quarantine,” the sheriff said.

She was sent into quarantine more than two weeks ago, he said.

“We are taking every precaution we can take,” Paulk said.