Daily Journal file photo
Health Director Tommy Jarrell addresses COVID-19 publicly for the first time on March 6, 2020 at a meeting of the Richmond County Board of Education.
ROCKINGHAM — Tommy Jarrell, director of the Richmond County Health Department, will retire after a year of battling the COVID-19 pandemic locally while maintaining the department’s other functions.
Jarrell confirmed that he is retiring in a text Tuesday afternoon. The timeline for his departure is unclear.
Numerous Richmond County leaders have sung Jarrell’s praises throughout the pandemic for his guidance on safety measures for local governments and businesses, and providing consistent updates on case counts, trends, deaths, and the latest data. The Health Department has provided a COVID-19 Hotline to answer questions and partnering with FirstHealth to provide free testing and vaccines.