UPDATED: Miller County coronavirus cases rise to seven | Courthouse closed to public after employee tests positive

Texarkana, Arkansas, Mayor Allen Brown speaks to reporters about the coronavirus outbreak during a media briefing Thursday, April 2, 2020, at the Bi-State Justice Building.
Texarkana, Arkansas, Mayor Allen Brown speaks to reporters about the coronavirus outbreak during a media briefing Thursday, April 2, 2020, at the Bi-State Justice Building.

TEXARKANA, Ark. - The Miller County Courthouse closed to the public Thursday as the county's number of coronavirus cases increased to seven, including a courthouse employee.

County Judge Cathy Hardin Harrison announced the closure during an afternoon media briefing at the Bi-State Justice Building. Beginning Monday, county residents will be able to conduct business with courthouse staff online or by phone, she said. They can also make appointments with staff, who will come outside the courthouse to help them.

Harrison said the employee who tested positive has four days remaining of a 14-day quarantine. The courthouse is being disinfected, and the employee's coworkers are being checked regularly for fever, she said.

A drive-through coronavirus testing center will be available Monday on the Arkansas side, Mayor Allen Brown and Joe Bennett, director of the county Office of Emergency Management, announced.

Those who meet criteria such as showing symptoms of COVID-19 can be tested 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. outside the Lansdell Family Clinic at 3809 E. Ninth St. Identification and health insurance information will be required.

"From my understanding, no one will be turned away for inability to pay," said Dr. Matthew Nix with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

About 500 test kits will be available. Test samples will be sent to a private lab for analysis, and the expected wait time for results is 48 to 72 hours.

The testing site will be open Monday only, and more one-day sites are planned to open elsewhere in Miller County, possibly as soon as late next week, Bennett said.

A health department surveillance team is investigating those who have had prolonged, close contact with coronavirus-infected patients, said Julie Huntley, a patient care manager with the Arkansas Department of Health.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has the only authority to issue a stay-at-home order for state residents, and he has not done so yet. But Brown predicted Hutchinson will make the move at some point.

"It probably will come," Brown said. "Our numbers are going to go up."

Texarkana is in line to receive needed personal protection equipment  - such as masks, gloves, gowns and face shields - from the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management, Bennett said. The supply of PPE available to city and county emergency responders is "about exhausted," he said, adding that he would welcome donations. No local police officers or firefighters are sick, he said.

City Hall remains open, though the Public Works Department is seeing residents by appointment only.

Bennett asked residents to listen to public health authorities and take needed precautions.

"You need to pay attention to us. This is no joke," he said.

Both Texarkanas remain under a mandatory curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. The city of Texarkana, Arkansas, is asking residents to stay home if possible and to limit gatherings to 10 or fewer people.

Precautions such as social distancing - staying at least 6 feet away from others - and frequent hand washing remain important to slow the spread of the virus.

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