State officials have halted public access to an animal control shelter in Savannah for two weeks after an outbreak of an upper respiratory illness was found among animals there.

Savannah-Chatham County Metro Police spokesman Julian Miller said the 14-day quarantine period was mandated by the Georgia Department of Agriculture Tuesday afternoon. It came after animal control officers discovered the illness among animals in outside kennels and requested an inspection.

Miller said adoptions from the facility and the intake of most animals must cease during the quarantine.

The police-run facility has come under state scrutiny in the past. But Miller stressed the quarantine was only enacted after animal control officers contacted state agriculture officials for an inspection.

Tags: Savannah, animal shelter, Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police, animal adoptions, quarantine