Durham, NC (November 10, 2020) -  Durham County Sheriff Clarence F. Birkhead announces that members of the Sheriff’s Office records division have tested positive for COVID -19. In the interest of public safety, the records office is closed until further notice as we await the results of staff testing and conduct a deep cleaning of that office. 

The Sheriff’s Office is coordinating with Durham County Public Health, who under the guidance of the NC DHHS and the CDC recommends that anyone who has had close contact with a positive case in the two (2) days prior to symptoms take extra precautions. Close contact is defined by the CDC as being within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes, cumulatively, within a 24 hour period. This means that anyone that was in the Records Department of the Sheriff’s Office on Monday, November 2nd through today Tuesday, November 10 may be at risk.
 
Effective immediately, the Durham County Department of Public Health will conduct contact tracing and notification. If you have questions, you can call their hotline at 919-635-8150.
 
“Sheriff’s Office employees have taken every possible precaution in protecting the public and themselves since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Sheriff Birkhead. “This virus has impacted our agency, however, we have a responsibility to carry out our duties to the residents of Durham County. We will continue to follow all local, state, and federal guidelines in doing so.”