COVID closes Henry County courthouse through Nov. 20

MT. PLEASANT - The Henry County Courthouse will be closed to the public through Nov. 20 due to the number of coronavirus cases among employees in the building.

County supervisors decided to close the building Tuesday morning following a discussion with department heads.

The closure began at noon on Tuesday following the county auditor's canvass of the 2020 general election. The supervisors will reevaluate the closure Nov. 19 to determine whether to continue to keep doors locked.

Treasurer Ana Lair said her staff had been reduced to just three people. Within her department, one person had a positive test, and two are exhibiting symptoms, one with a pending test and one that has yet to be tested.

Lair said she plans to shut down her office for the rest of the week to give her staff time to recuperate and 'get healthy” at home. Lair said, pending test results, certain staff could potentially be back in the office by the following week.

With the closure, Lair said her department has rescheduled all driver's license appointments to the last week of November.

Shelly Barber, county auditor, said within her department, two staff tested positive. She said one employee had been out since last Thursday. Like Lair, Barber plans to shut down her office through the end of the week and return with staff in split shifts the following week.

Barber added the county attorney was 'down to one person” still working in the office.

The auditor said with the recent election, the courthouse saw a major increase in traffic with close to 2,000 people in and out of the building in the previous month.

The courthouse reopened to the public in early June after an initial closure which began in March. Barber said with other county courthouses that have chosen to remain closed to the public since the beginning of the pandemic, the building had seen visitors from other counties as well for various appointments not available at other locations.

With employees out due to positive tests, pending tests and those exhibiting symptoms, supervisor Chairman Marc Lindeen said the courthouse staff was down to about 50 percent.

The outbreak within the courthouse comes as Henry County sees a drastic rise in cases. As of noon on Tuesday, the state showed Henry County had 1,354 cases in total and 250 active cases across a 14-day rolling average. The county's rate of positive test cases is currently 19.1 percent.

After deciding to close the building, the supervisors asked department heads how they would continue operating with the courthouse closed to the public.

A sign will be posted outside of the courthouse with the phone numbers and ways to contact various departments.

County Recorder Mindy Fitzgibbon said her department would return to what it had been doing when the courthouse was previously closed from March through June. Fitzgibbon said she had been in contact with local attorneys and has asked for filings to be completed electronically. The office also will continue to use the dropbox located outside of the courthouse and would meet with customers in the building's parking lot with masks on.

Henry County Assessor Nathan Milks and Director of Planning Joseph Buffington said neither of their offices had been impacted by positive cases yet and would continue work as usual. Milks and Buffington said neither of their departments receive many visitors from the public.

County Clerk of Court Linda Fear noted that jury trials throughout the state would continue to operate as normal, and her staff would have to let people into the courthouse for hearings and other court business. Fear added her department would not have the manpower to do screenings like checking temperatures.

Other department heads said that would not be a problem as departments would attempt to stay in their respective offices during the closure.

Jake Hotchkiss, county engineer, said he sent out a memo to his employees asking those who have family members or close contacts with pending tests to wear masks at work until a test result is available. Because his staff is considered emergency personnel, Hotchkiss said he could potentially ask employees to come in even if in quarantine but would avoid doing so, especially if nothing urgent needs to be completed. Hotchkiss added he is working with staff to reduce instances of employees congregating in groups.

With the courthouse groundskeeper also out due to a positive test, the department heads asked the supervisors to look into a cleaning service to sanitize public spaces and restrooms. The supervisors said they would find an outside service to clean the courthouse.

'I feel we have to protect the public and also our employees from potential exposure and spread of the virus,” Lindeen said of the decision.