Covid cases hit Allegheny County court records division, causing procedural changes

At least six employees from the Allegheny County Department of Court Records criminal division office are out this week after testing positive for covid-19, and 16 more are being quarantined, according to several sources in the courthouse.

No one in county administration, which oversees the office, or court administration, which works closely with the staff there, would confirm the numbers.

Amie Downs, a spokeswoman for Allegheny County, said they do not provide information on covid cases or exposure “with the exception of departments where employees provide direct care to a resident.

“Like most other employers in the county, we have had individuals who have tested positive,” Downs wrote in an email. “We are following the same guidance as everyone else. This includes mitigation measures, isolation and quarantine, and enhanced cleaning. Contact tracers reach out to anyone who may have been a close contact based on the case investigation.”

During the pandemic, the Fifth Judicial District website has provided updates to the public when employees within the court system have tested positive.

For example: “3/8/2021 The court has received notice that an employee of the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office has tested positive for covid-19. This individual was primarily in the District Attorney’s office in Dormont on March 5, 2021.”

The last update was March 8, and none of the cases from the Department of Court Records was listed there as of Wednesday afternoon.

In a statement by Allegheny County Court administration, spokesman Joseph Asturi wrote that they update positive covid-19 cases on the website for “court employees and others that appear in court facilities open to the public whenever we receive confirmation of a positive test.”

“In the Allegheny County Courthouse, court facilities would include the 3rd and 5th floors,” he wrote. “The Department of Court Records is located on the 1st and 2nd floors of the courthouse and falls under the jurisdiction of the county rather than the court.”

Although it is true that the court records and court facilities work on different floors of the courthouse, and fall under different jurisdictions, it is a distinction without a difference.

Employees from those offices often interact — in retrieving and exchanging files for the judges who preside over criminal cases.

On Tuesday, after the Tribune-Review made inquiries about the outbreak, a supervisor in court administration sent an email to court staff notifying them of the outbreak.

“Good afternoon everyone, It is our understanding that some employees from the Department of Court Records are quarantined due to exposure to covid-19. Please follow all CDC guidelines and use caution. Stay safe,” Carol Eddins wrote.

It included a link to those guidelines.

Then, on Wednesday afternoon, Eddins sent another email to court staff announcing a change in procedures for using the Department of Court Records.

In the message, Eddins wrote: “Due to the number of employees under quarantine from court records, we are going to consolidate our record requests.”

The message went on to say that all requests are to be emailed, and then a court records employee “will have the files pulled and bring them up on a cart to conference room 537.”

There, Eddins continued, court administration would sort the files, and place them in bins for the individual courtrooms.

A second cart will be used for files to be returned to court records.

“Please refrain from entering the offices of court records on the first or second floor,” the note continued. “We will keep you apprised of the situation.”

When asked for details on Wednesday, President Judge Kim Berkeley Clark requested that questions be sent via text message. Those questions were not answered as of 4 p.m.

Last summer, a lawyer in the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office died after being hospitalized with covid-19, and several other employees tested positive for the virus.

Allegheny County Councilperson-at-large Bethany Hallam said she’s not surprised by how the courts and county are handling the outbreak in the department of court records.

“We hear the same thing about the jail,” she said. “It’s the same people. Why would we expect anything different?”

She said county council was not made aware of the outbreak either.

“Why would we expect them to be forthcoming about covid in the courthouse, whether it’s employees or not?”

Hallam said that the county’s strategy is, “ ‘Let’s pretend this isn’t a problem and hope it will just go away.’

“Maybe your strategy isn’t working,” she said.

Instead, Hallam suggested the county and courts should consider the safety of their employees.

“It’s so disappointing,” she said. “They put up banners and take out ads thanking our essential workers, and this is how we treat them.

“It’s disgusting.”