With two weeks to go before a monumental election, the Clinton Township Election Department is closed for business for at least the rest of the week after three employees -- including the clerk -- tested positive for COVID-19.
Clerk Kim Meltzer said the time will provide time to assess the staff's exposure to the virus and so all staff members can get tested.
There's no greater priority than the health and safety of residents, Meltzer said, adding the timing, so close to the election, is "awful." Meltzer told the Macomb Daily she has also tested positive, adding, "It's not a scarlet letter."
The department is expected to reopen on Monday.
In the meantime, ballots will be accepted by mail and through six collection boxes scattered around town.
And, Meltzer said, she has been in contact with the state about anything they may need if the closure goes beyond that. The governor has been supportive, she added.
"I'm good, but I'm staying home and taking medicine," she said. to the Macomb Daily about her own struggle with COVID. "It could have been worse if I didn't take care of it early. I can't stress that enough. People need to take this virus seriously, get tested and wear their masks."
Meltzer was featured in a New York Times story a week ago, where she worried aloud about the strain of huge numbers of voters on her staff, some of whom are expected to work more than 18 hours on Election Day.
"it negatively impacts the quality of the work that any human being can do," she said to the Times. "What condition are they in? Couldn't mistakes be made?"
