BREAKING: COVID-19 Outbreak Threatens to Shut Down Alexandria Clerk of Court Office

Updated 2:25 p.m. — There has been an outbreak of COVID-19 in the office of the Alexandria Clerk of Court.

The office is only operating with four employees out of 22, and may shut down, Clerk of Court Greg Parks told ALXnow in an email.

Mayor Justin Wilson was not aware of the outbreak, and the city tells ALXnow that three of the 22 employees in the Clerk’s Office tested positive for COVID-19 over the last few days and are isolating at home while they recover.

“Four supervisors are working from the Courthouse in separate areas, while three are working from home to answer phone calls,” Craig Fifer, the city’s director of communications told ALXnow. “The other employees are currently quarantining at home out of an abundance of caution until they complete the appropriate contact tracing and testing protocols.”

Fifer said that the courthouse will not shut down.

“There is no significant impact on court cases, which were already operating with limited dockets,” Fifer said. “Urgent matters such as protective orders are still receiving priority handling. Less urgent matters such as notary commissions and marriage licenses may encounter some delay this week while in-person appointments are suspended, but will still be processed as quickly as possible. Matters that can be resolved over the phone or through video appointments will continue to be handled that way.”

The Alexandria courthouse has been closed to the general public since the onset of the pandemic, and operations at the clerk’s office have been heavily impacted with staff mostly operating online. Thousands of cases have been put on the back burner.

In October, the courthouse was deep cleaned after an employee of the General District Court tested positive for COVID-19.