Robbinsville – Those needing services from the Graham County Courthouse – or preparing to go before a judge – may have to wait a bit, following a COVID-19 related closure.
On Friday, the N.C. Judicial Branch announced that the Graham County Clerk of Court’s office would be closed until Friday, Dec. 18, after a Judicial Branch employee that had been in the office earlier in the week tested positive for the coronavirus Dec. 10. The office will remain accessible by phone at (828) 479-7000, and emergency filings can be made via drop box from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
“The individual was in our office on Wednesday,” confirmed Graham County Clerk of Court Tammy Holloway.
Holloway said the individual was experiencing cold-like symptoms at the time they were tested.
She said it was a “huge” setback for the office, as three days of court were initially scheduled for this week, including district criminal court, superior administrative court and Child support court.
“(Replacement court dates) will be determined at a later date,” Holloway said. “The assistant DA will be sending out the new court dates for everyone.”
Holloway also said it was the first time the office had been forced to close due to COVID-19.
The Swain County Clerk of Superior Court’s office was also closed Friday and Monday after an exposure there.
The closures come at approximately the same time as a modified stay-at-home order issued by Gov. Roy Cooper. The order went into effect Friday, and requires most businesses to close from 10 p.m. – 5 a.m. It also forbids the sale of alcohol from 9 p.m. – 7 a.m.
Graham County Sheriff’s Office Lt. James Hyde said the office had not yet had any calls regarding violations of the order.
“Any enforcement would be on a case-by-case basis,” Hyde said. “We’re going to encourage people to use common sense and to follow the three W’s (Wear, Wait, Wash).
“Nobody’s complained so far.”
Graham County has seen a considerable spike in cases over recent weeks, jumping from 276 positive cases on Dec. 1 to 323 on Tuesday.
Publisher/editor Kevin Hensley also contributed to this story.