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Dauphin County officials declare disaster emergency and close offices to the public to prevent COVID-19

HARRISBURG, PA (March 16, 2020) – Dauphin County Commissioners Jeff Haste, Mike Pries and George P. Hartwick, III, as well as the Court of Common Pleas, are taking proactive measures to protect the health, safety and well-being of employees, visitors and the public they serve and comply with Governor Wolf’s order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Effective 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17, 2020, Dauphin County government offices will be closed to the public until further notice. Essential employees who are assigned to 24/7 facilities and other critical operations should follow specific guidance from their department director with the goal of maintaining vital services.

Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas and magisterial district court offices will also close to the public at 4:30 p.m. on March 17, 2020. Certain court proceedings will be handled according to Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas President Judge John F. Cherry’s order.

Also, the commissioners declared a disaster emergency in Dauphin County and canceled all public events and activities at the county’s various facilities and buildings until further notice. A list of events can be found at www.DauphinCounty.org.

Residents who want to pay a tax bill or drop off a voter registration form or absentee/mail-in ballot can deposit items in a locked box near the entrance of the Dauphin County Administration Building on Second Street in Harrisburg.

The Dauphin County Courthouse will also have a secure box near the entrance on Market Street where documents can be dropped off.

The County Commissioners’ public meeting scheduled for Wednesday, March 18 at 10 a.m. will take place in the lobby of the Dauphin County Administration Building. At the conclusion of the public meeting, the Administration Building will close immediately. The public meeting on Wednesday, March 25 is canceled.

Currently, there are a total of 76 cases reported in Pennsylvania, none of which are in Dauphin County. For several weeks, county officials have been preparing for the possibility of COVID-19 cases to occur locally.

The county has developed an online resource at www.DauphinCounty.org/coronavirus to keep residents updated on COVID-19, health and safety tips and the county’s response to the pandemic.