Monday, April 20, 2020 | 1:14 p.m.
Courts will be closed for at least two weeks in the rural Nevada town of Pahrump after an employee tested positive and other workers were exposed to the virus, officials said Monday.
In court orders, judges banned in-person hearings and criminal and civil trials for at least 14 days.
Pahrump Justice Court judges will continue to conduct initial appearances, bail hearings and arraignments with detainees and attorneys appearing only by telephone or videoconference. Applications for protective orders can be made by internet or at the Nye County sheriff’s office.
State courts will be closed at least through April 30, and Justice Court set a May 4 reopening date.
County officials have reported at least 23 cases of COVID-19 in Pahrump, a community of about 40,000 residents, and six cases in other parts of sprawling Nye County. No deaths have been reported.
The state Department of Health and Human Services said more than 3,800 people have tested positive for the virus statewide with 158 deaths. More than 32,000 people have been tested.
Most people with the virus experience symptoms such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. Older adults and people with existing health problems can face severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
