URBANA – The Champaign County Clerk’s office and the Danville Public Library are both closed temporarily, after an employee at each location tested positive for COVID-19.
But a staff member will be at the county clerk’s office on Tuesday to accept petitions from candidates seeking to get their names on the November 3 election ballot. The office will be open Tuesday, for that purpose only, from 9 AM to 4:30 PM.
The county clerk’s office is located within Champaign County’s Brookens Administrative Center in Urbana. Masks are required for entry into the building, and those filing petitions are asked to bring as few people with them as possible.
A post on the county clerk’s Facebook page says they are able to reopen Tuesday because sanitizing of the office has gone more quickly than expected. But other staff members need to be tested for the coronavirus, and the county clerk’s office is expected to stay closed through Friday, July 17.
The filing period in Illinois for new-party and independent candidates began Monday, July 13 and runs through the following Monday, July 20. Chief Deputy Clerk Angie Patton says candidates who cannot file on Tuesday should contact the Elections Division at elections@co.champaign.il.us to arrange for another time.
Patton says a county clerk staff member was at the office for an hour on Monday morning to collect ballot petitions, but that none were filed at that time.
Danville Library Closed
The Danville Public Library (319 N. Vermilion) is also closed, due to an employee testing positive for the coronavirus. The library will reopen on Thursday, July 16, after custodial staff have sanitized surfaces inside the building. A post on the library’s Facebook page says the employee who tested positive for COVID-19 “had minimal contact with the public”.
The library is following guidance from the Vermilion County Health Department on what to do when an employee tests positive for COVID-19. Library staff are wearing masks, practicing social distancing and disinfecting areas. And they are monitoring for symptoms of COVID-19, including checking their temperatures at the start of each shift.