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The City of Brookhaven’s mayor announced Sunday that he has tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus.

As a result, Mayor Joe Cox wrote in a Facebook post, the mayor’s office, city clerk’s office and building inspector’s office will be closed as employees are tested for the virus.

Cox said he began feeling sick with flu-like symptoms on July 2 and has been quarantined since. The mayor said he isn’t sure how he developed the virus as he’d been following the CDC’s guidelines to avoid others, wearing a face mask and other protocols.

“I do not know where or how I contracted the virus,” Cox wrote in a public social media post. “However, what I do know is that COVID-19 is not a hoax. It is a real and highly contagious respiratory disease that can result in serious illness or death.”

Cox urged residents of his community to use common sense and follow guidelines to protect themselves and others from the virus.

“We live in a nation which provides us with many liberties and freedoms,” he wrote. “With freedom comes personal responsibility. I urge you to be cautious and closely follow the (CDC) guidelines to protect yourself and your family members, friends, neighbors, and co-workers.”