Times Observer photo by Josh Cotton The Warren County Courthouse was closed effective Monday at noon due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak as well as staffing shortages.

The Warren County Courthouse has been closed.

The decision was made effective Monday at noon.

Commissioner Ben Kafferlin said during Monday’s work session that he met with President Judge Maureen Skerda and said that “due to staffing shortages and the COVID-19 outbreak, we would be going back to the rules we had in place in the spring.

He said that means the courthouse is still accessible to the public but is by appointment only.

“That will extend through the remainder of this week,” he said. “All the offices should be available on some level.”

Each department will be making its own determination regarding whether to work at the courthouse or remotely.

Kafferlin said some are “continuing to work under the normal COVID protocols” while others are “staggering” so fewer employees are in the building at a given time.

Whether the closure will extend beyond this week will be decided when Skerda and the commissioners meet on Friday.

As a result, commissioner meetings will be held virtually starting with Monday’s work session. Wednesday’s regular meeting, originally set for 5:30, has been moved to noon.

Anyone with an appointment for a county office will still utilize the single-point security checkpoint at the courthouse’s Fifth Ave. entrance.