A deputy sheriff for the City of St. Louis tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, March 31.
The deputy had last been in contact with staff a week before on March 24, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The deputy works in the Outside Services Unit, which is responsible for serving summons and ex parte orders of protection. All deputies working in that unit, and other staff members who may have come into contact, have been ordered to self-quarantine for two weeks.
“I am deeply concerned about this deputy, their family and the rest of my staff and their families,” stated Sheriff Vernon Betts in a statement on April 2. “We are working with our cleaning services to make sure any exposed areas in the courthouse are sanitized. I want to thank the cleaning staff for their professional response and acknowledge how essential our custodial workers are during this crisis.”
Betts said he is working directly with the City of St. Louis Department of Health Director Dr. Fredrick Echols on all protocols and orders.
“The Sheriff’s Office is on the front lines of this pandemic,” Betts said. “We have deputies out in the community serving court orders, working in area hospitals, handling prisoners, and guarding the courthouses risking exposure every day. Thanks to the professionalism of my deputies, we are prepared to face this crisis.”
Betts is re-assigning staff to make sure the essential orders of protection continue to be served, he said, and his office’s functions will not be affected or diminished. Due to a court order on March 20 regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, the only summons currently being served are ex parte orders of protection, he said.
“I want to stress to the public that this deputy did not work in the courthouse and there is minimal exposure to the buildings,” Betts said. “I can assure the public and employees who visit or work in these buildings that it is safe to conduct business here using the precautions of social distancing and hand washing.”