Southwestern Illinois courthouse will reopen before coronavirus stay-at-home order ends
A southwestern Illinois sheriff announced Tuesday that the county courthouse will reopen next week, even though the governor’s stay-at-home order doesn’t expire until the end of April.
Sheriff Neal Rohlfing said the Monroe County courthouse will reopen Monday, three days before Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s statewide order ends. County officials closed the courthouse to the public March 19 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
The stay-at-home order only restricts non-essential business operations and does not affect courthouses, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers “critical infrastructure.”
Rohlfing said he made the decision after a discussion with the Monroe County Board and health department.
“In the beginning when we closed it, we had no idea how (coronavirus) was going to affect Monroe County,” he said, “but luckily we haven’t been hit real hard down here.”
Roughly half of the 57 cases (28) and six of the seven deaths in Monroe County as of Monday afternoon have occurred at Garden Place Columbia, an assisted living facility.
Pritzker said Monday he hadn’t decided whether to extend the order beyond April 30, and indicated the possibility of reopening the state regionally depending on the prevalence of COVID-19. But Rohlfing said he wouldn’t change his mind regardless.
“It would not change my mind and I doubt it would change the health department’s mind,” Rohlfing said. “There’s a lot of county business that needs to get done and it’s going to be very difficult to get the job done with the courthouse closed for another month.”
In places such as courthouses where employees are at higher risk of contracting the coronavirus, the CDC calls for regular monitoring for symptoms or contact with COVID-19 patients.
Courthouse visitors can expect the following guidelines:
- Everyone will be given a mask and have their temperature taken.
- Those with a temperature higher than 99.9 degrees will not be allowed inside.
- Only one person at a time will be allowed in an office.
- Anyone who has flu-like symptoms or has been in contact with a COVID-19 patient should avoid the courthouse.
Appointments are recommended.
Rohlfing asked anyone who can conduct courthouse business online or over the phone to do so.
All civil and criminal jury trials have been delayed, according to the Monroe County Circuit Clerk. Updated court dates can be found at www.judici.com or by calling 618-939-8681. Jurors will be notified by mail of changes to trial dates.
This story was originally published April 21, 2020 at 3:30 PM.
