CLAYTON, Mo. — The St. Louis County Courthouse restricted public access Wednesday after four employees there tested positive for COVID-19.
That means order of protection cases will be continued until Aug. 10 or later. Civil, probate and juvenile dockets will continue through the online meeting program Zoom. No weddings allowed. And grand jury proceedings have been put on hold for two weeks.
The four employees who tested positive contracted the virus outside the building. One has been hospitalized. The other three and their potential contacts are in quarantine, according to spokeswoman Christy Bertleson.
Judge David Vincent will decide on whether to reconvene the grand jury after the two-week period, Bertleson said.
St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell issued a statement, saying he doesn’t believe the shutdown of grand jury proceedings will affect his office’s ability to prosecute cases.
“We anticipate this will be a short delay and that the Grand Jury will resume shortly,” he wrote. “That said, the decision will be made by the presiding judge and we are confident that he will take all reasonable precautions to ensure the safety of the grand jurors, staff and any participants. Our office is prepared for these measures as they occur and these measures do not alter our ability to review and issue cases or keep the county safe.”
In an internal memo obtained by 5 On Your Side, Presiding Judge Michael Burton told courthouse employees about the closure.
“The situation in the St. Louis metro area is very concerning,” he wrote. “Neighboring courthouses – that were further along than us in the phasing process – have essentially closed.”
He noted that he had talked to the county’s health director, Spring Schmidt, and Chief Operating Officer Valerie Nelson, before making the decision to close the courthouse.
“They made it clear that people should not be in this building unless they absolutely need to be here,” he wrote.
Burton wrote that courthouse leaders are trying to determine how best to proceed with adult abuse-related issues.
Orders of protection require clerks to be present to record the proceedings, so that’s why they’ve been pushed to Aug. 10 or later. All protection orders will be extended until their next court dates, Burton wrote.
Courthouse staff members are working to set up kiosks in the entrance or outside the Adult Abuse Office that would allow petitioners to filed protection order requests online so they will not be passing documents around to courthouse staff. Resources for abuse survivors is also going to be put near the kiosks as well, Burton said.
Burton also said courthouse staff is working with county leaders to try and determine a way to do everything involving weddings remotely as well, according to the email.
