Second Collier clerk of courts office employee tests positive for coronavirus

A second Collier County clerk of courts office employee has tested positive for the coronavirus, clerk's office officials said Monday.

The news comes a week after a clerk's office employee on the same floor, the fourth floor of the Collier administrative building on the county's main campus, tested positive for the virus, marking the first such case for the agency.

The fourth floor of Building F at 3299 Tamiami Trail E. was cleaned last week as a result of the positive test result, and three clerk's employees who worked in "close proximity" with the individual were sent home early last week, officials said. The employees were awaiting their own test results.

Monday afternoon test results for the second employee testing positive came back, said clerk's office spokesman Mike Sheffield. That person had not been in the office since leaving for the weekend Friday, June 26, he said, and first reported feeling ill two days later.

The second positive-testing employee was interviewed by phone Monday afternoon to identify whether any co-workers had been in "close contact" for a prolonged period of time, according to Sheffield.

Two other employees were found to have been in "close proximity" with the worker, Sheffield said. They have been informed, have been home and will be tested, he added. 

"They're working with our (human resources) people to get tested," he said.

The employee testing positive Monday was not in a front office position and had no contact with the public, Sheffield said.

More:Collier clerk's office cleaned after employee tests positive for coronavirus

More:Coronavirus cases exploded in Collier County in June. It wasn't just due to more tests.

Thirty employees from the fourth floor will continue to work from home for now, he said. Although employees are working remotely, the floor isn't considered closed, Sheffield said.

"A couple of senior staff continue to work on the floor," he wrote in an email.

When asked if there will be another cleaning of the fourth floor due to the latest positive case, Sheffield wrote that the county's facilities division arranges for enhanced cleaning and disinfecting of all areas on a "regular basis."

The fourth floor houses finance, internal audit and board minute and records staff for the clerk's office.

Sheffield said there are no plans right now for agency-wide testing.

"Every day, the Clerk and her directors coordinate with our partners in the judiciary and county government to minimize risks and protect the health of our employees and the public," he wrote. "As cases of COVID-19 continue to rise throughout the state, the health and well-being of our team members, their families, and our customers will continue to be our highest priority."

The Lee County Clerk of Court Recording Office, which had an employee test positive for the COVID-19 virus, remains closed while the office gets a deep cleaning.

Rita Miller, Clerk of Court community relations manager, said only online services for that office will be available.

“We just want to be extra careful,” Miller said. “We’re lucky we have the ability to work online.”

She added that the clerk’s court division, which is in the Justice Center, a different building than the recorder’s office, remains open.

Connect with the reporter at patrick.riley@naplesnews.com or on Twitter @PatJRiley.