Albany mayor will preside at commission meeting after negative coronavirus test

ALBANY — Albany Mayor Bo Dorough was back at work on Tuesday after a coronavirus scare that forced him to quarantine with his family ahead of the New Year’s holiday.

Dorough, an Albany attorney, answered the phone at his law office on Tuesday and said he will preside at the Wednesday Albany City Commission meeting. He was forced to miss a coronavirus update given by elected officials and the medical community on Thursday due to his potential exposure to the disease.

“My middle son came home for Christmas and he was obviously sick — runny nose, coughing,” the mayor said. “He was positive, but he had it (COVID-19) back in August.”

One question being pursued by medical professionals is the length of time an individual may have antibodies that protect against reinfection by the virus after an initial case.

Dorough said he had no doubt his son had COVID-19 in the earlier instance because he had the “classic symptoms,” along with a positive test result. In the latest incident, both a rapid test and the more accurate antibody test came back positive.

Dorough’s son has remained in Albany and is preparing to return to college this week.

“He’s OK,” the mayor said. “He’s been in his room.”

Dorough has been cleared to leave quarantine.

“We got tested yesterday, and it was negative,” he said of himself and wife Bonny.

The commission meeting was moved to Wednesday to accommodate Tuesday’s statewide runoff election.

File Photo: Carlton Fletcher