County buildings will reopen by following procedures to ensure the safety of the public and county employees, it said.
County buildings will have signage stating face coverings are recommended but not required to be worn inside county buildings; however, cloth face coverings will be mandatory when entering a courtroom based upon directives from the Office of Court Administration, the release said. Social distancing will also be enforced, it said.
The Williamson County District Courts, County Courts at Law and Justice of the Peace courts are in the process of developing an opening plan as directed by the Texas Supreme Court, the release said.
Pursuant to the direction of the Texas Supreme Court, there will be no in-person hearings other than essential hearings that cannot be conducted remotely because doing so is not possible or practicable until the plan is approved by the Third Administrative Regional Judge and forwarded to the Office of Court Administration, the release said. Upon approval of the plan, the public will be notified, it said.
The Williamson County Historic Courthouse will remain closed to the public until further notice, except when a Commissioners Court meeting is being held, when the building will be open one hour prior to the posted start time to one hour after the posted start time. Typically, this will be from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., the release said. Meetings are held on Tuesdays.
Temperature checks may be required by elected officials for members of the public entering the Williamson County Justice Center, facilities where essential employees are working and visitors at the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter, the release said.
The plan may be subject to change daily, depending on the novel coronavirus response and how that continues to evolve over time. For a detailed list of all county offices and their operations, visit the county’s website, www.wilco.org.
