The Christian County Courthouse will be closed to the public until 1 p.m. Tuesday after officials learned an employee had tested positive for COVID-19. The closure will give the county enough time to have the entire courthouse sanitized, Deputy County Clerk Melinda Humphries told Hoptown Chronicle.
No other employee in the courthouse was required to go into quarantine as a result of exposure to the person who tested positive, said Humphries, who is the county’s elections coordinator.
Several weeks ago, the clerk’s office moved the employees in the elections division to the second floor of the courthouse. That freed up additional space for employees on the first floor who handle deeds, vehicle and boat registrations and transfer, and marriage licenses.
That was one of the goals of moving some employees upstairs. Staff members now have more personal space, in addition to plexiglass dividers between work areas.
“We do all of the precautionary things that you hope will help,” Humphries said.
A cleaning crew is scheduled to go into the courthouse at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday to sanitize the interior.
In a separate case, the clerk’s office announced on Sept. 15 that it was temporarily closing the deed and vehicle transfer offices on the first floor of the courthouse because an employee’s husband had tested positive for the virus and three other employees were worried they had symptoms of the virus.
Today is the last day to register to vote and be eligible to cast a ballot in the Nov. 3 general election. The deadline is 4 p.m. Courthouse employees are answering phones today to help with questions about the election and other business.
The public can use the state’s online portal to register to vote.
Early voting will start at the courthouse and at the Christian County Sheriff’s Department on Oct. 13.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
