Eight clerks test positive for coronavirus as Miami judges returned to criminal court

As judges returned Monday to Miami-Dade’s criminal courthouse, at least eight clerks have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in recent weeks, authorities confirmed.

The Miami Herald reported last week that four employees from the ninth floor of the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building tested positive within the past two weeks. Another clerk, from the traffic division, also tested positive about three weeks ago.

On Monday, the clerk’s office confirmed another three clerks from the ninth floor have also tested positive.

The expansion comes as the number of people catching the coronavirus across Florida has mushroomed, with another 10,109 cases of COVID-19 being reported on Thursday. In all, Florida has recorded more than 169,000 cases and over 3,600 deaths, according to the Florida Department of Health.

The surge of cases has put a pause on government plans to reopen public spaces, schools and businesses against the backdrop of a tanking worldwide economy. On Monday, as Miami-Dade announced it was again closing restaurants for dine-in service, Florida had already notched more than 206,000 cases.

To cut down on crowds at the Gerstein building, trials remain suspended, and limited hearings have been held through Zoom, with rotating judges in three courtrooms holding court via computers and lawyers appearing remotely.

The number of people at the aging building will rise on Monday as all circuit judges — there are 25, plus support staff — will return to work, their courtrooms now set up to be able to run virtual hearings. No lawyers or defendants will be in their courtrooms, but clerks are needed because files in Miami-Dade are still paper.

Over 100 Miami-Dade Clerk of Court employees work on the ninth floor, which is dedicated to maintaining records of felony court cases. Other employees on the ninth floor have been told to “self-monitor”in case they were exposed, a clerks official said.

Still, employees are being asked to report to the building, even those who are awaiting COVID-19 test results. While the public is not allowed in the building, lawyers and other employees of law firms are showing up to file, request and copy documents.

Clerks officials say the different “units” on the ninth floor are isolated from each other, and there is plenty of hand sanitizer and masks available for employees. But employees on the ninth floor are terrified, said one clerk, who asked not to be named.

“We don’t have 6 feet apart in the officers. The cubicles are too close,” she said.

This story was updated Monday to reflect that three more clerks had tested positive for COVID-19.

This story was originally published July 2, 2020 at 5:53 PM.