A judge ordered the Bulloch County Judicial Annex closed until Friday after learning a person attending court was possibly infected with COVID-19. This follows a 17-case jump from Monday to Tuesday, increasing the number of positive coronavirus cases in Bulloch residents to 532.

Bulloch County Superior Court Chief Judge Gates Peed issued an order Tuesday “declaring a Judicial Emergency and temporary closure … for cleaning and disinfecting,” said Bulloch  County Public Safety Emergency Management Agency Director Ted Wynn.

Court cases scheduled for the closure period, including hearings and cases slated for Tuesday, have been postponed until further notice. The Statesboro City Hall was closed last week due to similar circumstances.

Four Bulloch County residents have died from COVID-19 complications, and since the beginning of the pandemic, 39 residents have been hospitalized, Wynn said.

East Georgia Regional Medical Center listed 18 coronavirus patient Tuesday, down by two from Monday. Four of those patients remained on ventilators, he said. Bulloch County EMS transported one patient with confirmed COVID-19 between Monday and Tuesday afternoons, bringing the total of coronavirus patients to 37 probable and 29 confirmed cases transported.

Wynn reminds people that the disease is serious and can be spread even by those not showing symptoms. “Let us all do our part and tamp down the spread of the virus and not overwhelm our local health care providers,” he said, adding the following advice: watch you distance.; keep six feet away from someone who is not a part of your household; wear a facemask in public; wash your hands or use hand sanitizer .

The local SPOC/Specimen Point of Collection site is located at the Bulloch County Health Department located at 1 West Altman Street in Statesboro. If you would like to be tested for free, please call 855-473-4374 for an appointment.