By Lisa Price

TNEDITOR@TNONLINE.COM

Schuylkill County’s President Judge William E. Baldwin Tuesday declared a judicial state of emergency, which will remain in effect until the emergency created by COVID-19 has passed.

Schuylkill County Sheriffs may deny courthouse access to anyone who is visibly ill. In addition, department heads will be monitoring their employees and any employees with virus symptoms will be sent home.

Judge Baldwin’s order reads:

“As a precaution to help protect employees, litigants, attorneys, witnesses, jurors and members of the public who have business in county agencies, the Sheriff has been authorized to limit public court access to litigants, witnesses and attorneys required to attend a court proceeding; to citizens with a need to access a county office; and to members of the press,” the order reads. “To the extent possible, court business will be conducted by phone or video conferencing.”

In addition, the court will “stagger” scheduling to reduce crowding and use courtrooms that are large enough to facilitate social distancing. Those precautions will also be followed by Magisterial District Courts in the county, according to the order.

Additionally, litigants are encouraged to use telephone and video conferencing to reduce personal appearances for hearings, conferences and meetings. If an individual is denied entrance because of visible illness, a sheriff’s deputy will get the person’s name, contact information and purpose for coming to the courthouse.

The Schuylkill County sheriffs may also decline to transport prisoners from any prison if the prisoner appears ill or may have, within the last 14 days, been in contact with someone who was positive for corona virus.

On the heel of Baldwin’s “Judicial State of Emergency” order Tuesday, Schuylkill County’s Administrator Gary Bender and Commissioners George Halcovage and Gary Hess enacted a declaration of disaster emergency during a work session meeting Wednesday.

The declaration authorizes emergency management measures aimed at reducing the severity of the COV-19 virus disaster, and protect the health, safety and welfare of county residents. During the workshop meeting, county officials explained that they are monitoring the situation as part of a joint effort that involves the County Commissioners Association of PA, county Emergency Management, Pennsylvania Emergency Management, the state Department of Health and the Center for Disease Control.

The county courthouse and government offices will remain open, but the Schuylkill County Commissioners are asking members of the public to stay away unless absolutely necessary. Those who are visibly sick will be denied admission.

To further decrease public traffic in and out of the courthouse, a deposit box is available just inside the public entrance. Payments to various county offices by check or money order will be accepted but no cash payments will be accepted. Payments may also be submitted by mail, via telephone or by credit card online. Bail payments cannot be accepted at the deposit box because related documents must be signed at the time payments are rendered.

“This has been a very difficult week, but we did put this together,” said County Administrator Gary Bender. “We have some very special people at this courthouse.”

Commissioners Chairman George Halcovage said that the county’s row offices, such as Children & Youth and Senior Services, provide essential services. With the county’s professional employees pitching in, the safety and welfare of Schuylkill County residents as a whole is a priority, he said.

Commissioner Gary Hess agreed.

“Within this courthouse we still need to deliver services to people,” Hess said. “In a time of emergency, it’s a time that we come together.”

“This (the coronavirus) is totally different in that it can affect every citizen,” he added. “But we’ll bear the storm, we’ll prevail through this together.”

John Matz, county emergency management director, said that emergency management leaders are conferencing with school officials, fire chiefs and hospital personnel to discuss the fluid situation, making and adjusting plans as needed. Currently, as more of the county’s elderly population is homebound, there’s a need for Meals on Wheels volunteer drivers, Matz said.