New NC coronavirus cases top 2,000 as state sets record for hospitalizations during pandemic

Although no trials have been held since March because of the pandemic and many hearings are conducted over videoconference, some courthouse functions have continued. According to a memo dated Monday, a court employee in Wake County and two people who work at agencies in the Justice Center in downtown Raleigh have tested positive.

The court employee was last in the courthouse on June 29, wore a mask whenever not at his or her desk and had minimal contact with the public or other staff. The two others also wore masks when not at their desks and were last in the courthouse on June 26 and June 30, the memo states.

All of the areas where the three people work were to be sanitized, and anyone who was in those areas was asked to monitor their health for symptoms of COVID-19. Wake County health officials were tracing the close contacts of the three workers, and the memo states that anyone contacted by the health department not enter the courthouse until they are cleared to do so.

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The cases mark the third time in three weeks someone at the courthouse had the virus. A July 2 memo noted that a courthouse visitor on that day had tested positive, and a June 25 memo stated that a court employee who was last in the building on June 23 had tested positive.

In Durham, a memo dated Wednesday said a court employee who was last in the courthouse on Monday had tested positive. As in Wake County, areas that person worked are being sanitized, people were asked to monitor their health, and anyone with COVID-19 symptoms was asked to stay away from the courthouse.

The state also set a record for people hospitalized with COVID-19 at 1,034, marking the first time more than 1,000 people are in hospitals across the state with the illness.