Carbon County officials provided more details on their decision to close county operated buildings to the public after COVID-19 cases were discovered in various departments.

On Thursday, the board of commissioners said there were four positive cases, but noted that they were in various offices, but didn’t specify which offices within the courts and other buildings.

Commissioners’ Chairman Wayne Nothstein said that all of the cases are either mild or asymptomatic.

He added that prior to the positive cases, the board was already planning on meeting with the courts and row offices to discuss the possibility of closing the buildings to the public to protect the employees.

“We were planning on meeting later this week but things went south in a hurry,” he said during the Zoom meeting.

“For the safety of everyone, the employees and the public, we decided to close all county buildings to the public. ... It’s not an easy decision, but we have to protect the public and our employees. And we still have to operate county government.”

Nothstein added that the closure will be at least through the end of next week and possibly longer if it is needed.

He stressed that everyone needs to take this virus seriously and take precautions.

“Wear your mask. Wash your hands.”

Commissioner Rocky Ahner commended the cleaning crews and employees so far for going above and beyond the normal cleaning procedures to try and keep the offices sanitized.

He also highlighted the work the human resources department has been doing with setting up testing, keeping in contact with employees, fielding phone calls and more.

“I can’t say enough about our employees who are working on this situation,” Ahner said.

Commissioner Chris Lukasevich said the county is doing all it can to adhere to CDC guidelines and noted that the board had a Zoom meeting Thursday afternoon with department heads, row officers and the courts, as well as a St. Luke’s doctor to go over the county’s process and protocols and see if anything should be changed to keep employees and the public safe inside county buildings.

Anne Horrigan, senior center service director, said Thursday morning that the senior centers are closed at this time with a possible reopening date of Jan. 18.

Carbon County, on Wednesday evening, announced that effective Thursday, all county operated buildings would be closed to the public as a result of COVID-19 related issues.

All county personnel will continue to report to work unless otherwise directed, the commissioners said Wednesday.

Most of the county services can be completed online at www.carboncounty.com or help can be obtained by calling the offices during business hours.

For contact information on various departments, visit www.carboncounty.com/index.php/phone-e-mail.

All public meetings will be livestreamed on the Carbon County Commissioners Facebook page.

Likewise, all Common Pleas Court scheduled at the courthouse in Jim Thorpe through and including Nov. 25 is canceled, according to the court’s website.