PARKER, S.D. (KELO.com) — Turner County is enacting a number of measures to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.
They want people to call county offices before meeting with courthouse employees to see if the matter can be handled without meeting face to face.
The Sheriff’s Office will not be doing fingerprinting or handling pistol permits. They also want people to tell them if they request assistance if someone has flu-like symptoms so deputies can take proper health precautions.
Below is the statement issued by Turner County:
*** Courthouse Information *** March 16th – March 20th ***
At an emergency meeting this afternoon, the Turner County Commissioners along with department heads met to discuss the Coronavirus epidemic. The discussion primarily was how we could as a county ensure the safety of our employees and citizens. The Coronavirus is spreading throughout the country with now 9 confirmed cases in South Dakota.
Our opinion was to eliminate any non-essential business at the courthouse and minimize the amount of social interactions to prevent putting others at risk. Again our main priority is the safety of everyone in Turner County, citizens and employees alike.
Each office is going to limit our interactions with the public this week. We ask that if you MUST come to the courthouse to do any sort of business that you CALL FIRST to the office in which you need to meet with. At that time a determination will be made whether or not an appointment is warranted. This will be up to the discretion of the department heads.
The Sheriff’s Office will have someone staffed at all times but won’t be doing any fingerprinting, pistol permits, or other non-essential items during this week. Deputies are taking extra precautions to ensure their safety as well and will be limited interaction with the public as well. Deputies will still be on patrol and responding to emergency calls. If you have any sort of emergency and someone is experiencing a cold, flu, or flu-like symptoms, PLEASE NOTIFY US so we can take the necessary precaution to ensure the safety of our first responders.
Department Phone Numbers:
Sheriff’s Office: 605-297-3225
Dispatch: 605-764-2523 (If no one answers the Sheriff’s line)
Auditor: 605-297-3153
Clerk of Courts: 605-297-3115
Court Services: 605-297-4097
Equalization: 605-297-3424
Emergency Management: 605-297-6000
Extension: 605-297-3112
Highway Department: 605-297-3404
Deeds: 605-297-3443
States Attorney: 605-297-3975
Veteran Affairs: 605-297-3431
Treasurer: 605-297-4425
Keep in mind some offices may be closed so remember to call first. If you have an appointment with an office, please use the west door, on the west side of the building.
(Liz Ryan, KELO.com News, contributed to this report.)
