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Davidson Co. Juvenile Court to hold only emergency hearings after employees test positive for COVID-19

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Three Davidson County Juvenile Court employees tested positive for COVID-19, prompting the court to hold only emergency hearings for the time being.

Two of the three who tested positive are Juvenile Court Magistrate Mike O'Neil and a juvenile court attorney. The Tennessee Supreme Court gave them permission to stop hearing most cases beginning Friday, Sept. 25.

Judge Sheila Calloway released the following statement to NewsChannel 5 about the change:

"Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have had employees and court partners test positive sporadically. Through careful contact tracing and other proactive measures, we have been able to keep the virus largely under control at Juvenile Court. Because of an uptick in positive test results that began on Friday, September 25th, we have received permission from the Tennessee Supreme Court to return to holding only emergency court hearings at Juvenile Court at this time. Our thoughts are with our employees and court partners as they recover from the virus.”