The city’s emergency operations center was temporarily shut down Monday after a COVID outbreak at the 911 center, Lexington officials said.

Nine employees have tested positive for the coronavirus which has seen a surge in numbers in recent weeks in Fayette County.

On Monday, the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department reported 264 lab-confirmed coronavirus cases for the previous week. That’s up from 38 per week reported in early July and 106 per week at the first of August.

Hospitalizations remain low with nine new admissions last week, according to health department data.

The 264 cases in one week is also much lower than they were in August 2022 when there were 887 cases per week, health officials said.

Employees who can work remotely were sent home. A back-up 911 center has been activated to protect employees, said Susan Straub, a spokesperson for the city of Lexington.

The E 911 Center was sanitized and operations were expected to be restored Monday.

“The public should not see any impact in services provided,” Straub said.