COLUMBUS, Ind. — The Bartholomew County Commissioner’s Office has been placed under quarantine after two county commissioners tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week.
Bartholomew County Commissioners Larry Kleinhenz and Tony London tested positive Monday for COVID-19 — less than a week after sitting next to each other without wearing masks during the Feb. 9 Bartholomew County Council meeting.
During the meeting, which was livestreamed via Zoom, the two commissioners were initially seen wearing masks but removed them after sitting next to each other at a distance that appeared to be less than 6 feet.
Kleinhenz told a Republic reporter on Tuesday that he was “laid up with COVID” and “not feeling well at all.” On Wednesday morning, Kleinhenz said he was starting to feel better.
“Honestly, this has been really tough,” Kleinhenz said in a text message Wednesday. “Yesterday was my worst day. Fever and trouble catching my breath. I started a new med yesterday and feel sooo much better today.”
London said his symptoms so far have been “very mild.”
“I never had a fever. I just kind of felt rundown,” London said. “…I haven’t even lost my sense of smell or taste or anything. So I really had no idea.”
Bartholomew County Commissioner Carl Lienhoop, who did not attend the county council meeting, said the commissioner’s office is quarantining on the recommendation of the Bartholomew County Health Department.
Lienhoop said the commissioners did not hold their in-person session last Thursday.
“On the recommendation of the health department, everybody in (the commissioner’s) office is in quarantine right now,” Lienhoop said. “That’s about the size of it right now.”
Currently, it is unclear if any other county government departments are quarantining or how many county employees may have been exposed to the virus due to the outbreak in the commissioner’s office.
Amanda Organist, director of nursing at the Bartholomew County Health Department, referred questions about contact tracing and whether other departments of county government were quarantining to Bartholomew County Health Officer Dr. Brian Niedbalski.
Niedbalski said he could not comment on any specific cases.
“Everyone that tests positive is informed that they should isolate themselves according to guidelines and all close contacts are notified,” Niedbalksi said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says COVID-19 is mainly spread among “close contacts,” which it defines as people who spend at least 15 minutes within about 6 feet of each other during a 24-hour period.
COVID-19 is transmitted via respiratory droplets made when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks.
Kleinhenz and London sat next to each other without masks during the county council meeting for nearly one hour, the livestream shows.
At one point, Kleinhenz briefly left the meeting table for a few minutes before returning. Kleinhenz also put his mask back on for about four minutes before removing it again for the remaining 23 minutes of the meeting.
London’s mask remained off the entire time, lying face down on his desk, the livestream shows. However, the livestream cuts away from the county council chambers whenever a person attending the meeting speaks online.
Other county officials were seen, at times, not wearing masks during the meeting, including Bartholomew County Council members Scott Bonnell and Bill Lentz and Bartholomew County IT Director Scott Mayes.
County council members Matt Miller and Greg Duke were seen wearing masks during the meeting.
Mayes said he is quarantining as a precaution and had only removed his mask while he was presenting during the meeting.
Mayes is seen in the livestream approaching the presentation desk with a mask on. As he sat down to present, Mayes placed his mask in what appeared to be the breast pocket of his shirt.
Mayes’ mask was off for just shy of 16 minutes while he presented, the livestream shows. The desk from where he presented was more than 6 feet from where London and Kleinhenz were sitting, Mayes said.
“I always wear my masks in meetings, and I always stay away from everybody because, you know, that’s just the way I am,” Mayes said. “And the only reason my mask was down was because … I was making the presentation.”
Mayes said that after he finished presenting, he “masked back up and moved away” and was not experiencing any symptoms as of Wednesday morning.
The meeting was held in the newly renovated council chambers on the first floor of the Bartholomew County Office Building.
In the livestream, six county officials were seen sitting at desks configured in the shape of the letter “U.”
There were a total of 11 chairs around the table, enough for the officials to be spaced out further. However, five of the six officials were seated on the same side of the room.
A total of 145 Bartholomew County residents have died from COVID-19 in roughly 11 months, according to the Indiana State Department of Health.
Lienhoop said the positive cases were a reminder that “COVID’s not over.”
“Everybody still needs to be vigilant,” Lienhoop said.
