The Forsyth County Courthouse is closed for cleaning Friday after an employee tested positive for COVID-19, officials said.
Clerk of Courts Greg Allen said his office was informed that one of his staff members received a positive test result late Thursday afternoon.
“We immediately locked our doors to the public and operated electronically and by sliding documents under the door,” he told AJC.com in an email.
Allen said the Forsyth County Emergency Management Agency was contacted and Chief Superior Court Judge Bagley was notified of the positive case. Bagley then issued a judicial emergency closing the courthouse on Friday.
“The Clerk of Courts offices and lobbies are being cleaned and disinfected by Forsyth County EMA,” Allen said, adding the agency is scheduling COVID-19 tests for his staff members.
Cleaning efforts are expected to wrap up Friday morning, and the courthouse is scheduled to reopen Monday at 8:30 a.m., officials said. Meanwhile, those set to appear in court on Friday for traffic violations will be sent a new arraignment date in the mail.
It wasn’t immediately clear Friday if those who came in contact with the infected employee have been instructed to self-isolate.
The latest case comes weeks after three Forsyth court employees tested positive for the virus. Late last month, officials confirmed positive test results for employees at the county courthouse and juvenile court, AJC.com previously reported.
Following the first suspected case in July, all employees working in the affected areas were instructed to work from home, county spokeswoman Karen Shields said at the time.
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