YOUNGSTOWN — One or two individuals who work regularly in the Mahoning County Courthouse recently tested positive for the coronavirus, causing others to have to quarantine, Mahoning County Public Health Commissioner Ryan Tekac said Monday.

“I can’t get into details due to the nature of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act — protected health information — but yeah, we are working with the courts through a positive case and some contacts,” Tekac said.

A murder trial had to be postponed in Judge Anthony Donofrio’s courtroom Monday because of virus-related issues. Jurors were called to the courthouse Monday morning but sent home later.

A felonious assault trial that was supposed to begin in Judge John Durkin’s courtroom Monday was postponed for virus related reasons, a court official said.

And Judge Maureen Sweeney also was set to hold an aggravated robbery trial, but that also was postponed, possibly because one or more attorneys was ordered to quarantine for the virus, another court official said.

Tekac said his agency has jurisdiction of one or two cases involving one or two people who regularly work in the courthouse. Tekac would not specify the type of work the person does or identify the person.

Mahoning County Public Health began to look into the matter late last week to investigate the case and carry out contact tracing among individuals that the infected person or persons came into contact with.

The health department contacted the “close contacts” of the infected person to provide them with information about quarantining and answer questions.

“We’ve worked with the courts, the prosecutor’s office and the bar association and completed our contact tracing as of this weekend and into today,” Tekac said.

Tekac said the health department has not advised the common pleas court judges to change the methods they are using to protect people from getting the virus.

The judges and other officials worked with the health department when they resumed trials in mid-August, Tekac said. “They had a plan in place to try to keep people relatively safe,” Tekac said.

“We’ve said from the beginning (the keys are) social distancing, keeping people apart (6 feet), wearing a mask, hand hygiene and if you are not feeling well to stay home until your (physician says it’s OK) and / or you start feeling better,” he said.

Following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advice, Tekac said a person needs to quarantine if he or she has been within 6 feet of someone for 15 minutes or more who tests positive for the virus.

Tekac said the issue at the courthouse is similar to what occurs in business environments: It becomes difficult for people to always properly socially distance.

Tekac spoke with the Mahoning County commissioners at the commissioners meeting Thursday to update them on the virus in Mahoning County, because of the high number of virus cases in Ohio and in the county.

Tekac said Mahoning County has seen a rise in cases since August, culiminating in the county having its highest number of new cases in one day Oct. 15 (65). The previous high was 62 on May 2.

The county had 466 new cases in August, an average of 15 per day.

It had 289 cases in September, an average of 9.6 per day.

It has had 514 cases so far in October, an average of 24.5 per day. Tekac said at the present rate, it’s likely to be around 700 for the month.

The county had 41 new virus-related hospitalizations in August, 45 in September and 53 so far in October.

The county saw 11 new deaths in August, two in September and two so far in October.

erunyan@tribtoday.com