Wake, Durham County courthouse employees test positive for COVID-19
People who visited the Wake and Durham County courthouses in recent weeks are being encouraged to monitor themselves for COVID-19 symptoms after employees tested positive for the virus, according to court officials.
A Wake County courts employee who tested positive for COVID-19 last worked in the Wake County Justice Center on June 29, states a Monday, July 6 memo from the judicial district’s COVID-19 coordinator to courthouse personnel and members of the public.
The individual had minimal contact with the public and other courthouse staff and wore a mask at all times, the notice states.
In addition, two employees of one or more agencies within the Justice Center have tested positive. One person was last in the courthouse on June 30 and another on June 26.
Previous COVID-19 Wake County memos state that someone who visited the courthouse on July 2 reported close contact with a COVID-19 positive individuals and is experiencing symptoms.
A June 25 memo reported an employee who had tested positive and was last in the courthouse on June 23.
Durham County courts employee tests positive
In Durham County, a courts employee who tested positive was last at the courthouse on Monday, states a Wednesday memo from Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson, Chief District Judge Pat Evans and other officials.
The memos to courthouse personnel and the public don’t name or say where the person worked to protect the person’s medical privacy, the memos state.
The memos were published on the North Carolina Judicial Branch’s websites for Wake County and Durham County coronavirus updates.
Perople who were in the buildings during those times frames are “strongly encouraged” to self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19, the Wake and Durham memos state. If they have any symptoms, they should not enter the courthouse.
Contact tracing underway
Contract tracing is taking place, the memos state, and people who might be at risk will be contacted by local health officials and receive additional guidance.
Contract tracing includes contacting the person who tested positive and asking for a list of people the person was within six feet of for 15 minutes or more. Contact tracers then attempt to contact each of those individuals.
The areas visited by the people who tested positive were sanitized by local and federal guidelines.
Durham County criminal defense attorney Daniel Meier said he had concerns about positive courthouse cases.
“The vagueness (of the memos) makes it hard to know, should I be worried? Should I not?” he said. “Specificity would certainly help.”
Meier also expressed concern about the contact tracing that only looks at people who were within six feet for 15 minutes. Meier said that kind of interaction is unusual at the courthouse and questioned what his risks might be if he spent hours within the same courtroom room or area with someone with the virus.
As of Thursday morning, there were more than 6,500 confirmed COVID-19 in Wake County and 58 related deaths.
As of Thursday morning, there were more than 4,200 confirmed cases and 67 deaths n Durham County, according to the Health Department.
In April, eight detention officers at the Durham County jail tested positive, and one died.
This story was originally published July 9, 2020 at 11:25 AM.
