Adams County on Thursday announced that “out of an abundance of caution,” many county facilities would close through March 23 to prevent the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus.

Two days prior, Commissioner Emma Pinter, the board chair, signed a declaration of emergency, effective from March 11-18.

Law enforcement agencies will continue to operate, including the sheriff, district attorney, justice center and Sex Assault Task Force offices, plus the county coroner.

Jim Siedlecki, the county’s director of communications, said that county manager Raymond Gonzales made the decision out of concern for public employees.

“We understand that this ongoing public health crisis will likely be worse on March 23 than it is today,” Siedlecki said. “Wee are using this time with our buildings closed to clean, disinfect and modify our public-facing service delivery methods to minimize risk for residents and employees.”

Reaction to the closure was mixed on the county’s Facebook page.

“By all means, lets keep adding fuel to the fire of fear and panic we already have going,” said one commenter. “To be honest, I’m more concerned about groups of people panicked than I am about the dang virus.”

Another person countered that “When there is a risk to the community, it is essential to take precautionary measures, regardless of the inconvenience. “

It does not appear that other counties in Colorado have taken the same step, although several school districts have announced temporary closures. As of Thursday at 5 p.m., Adams County had two of the 49 presumed positive cases of COVID-19. An additional 390 people tested negative.

Adams County’s decision took place over two days, during which the two cases became known and doctors ordered two additional county employees on quarantine pending testing. A third positive case was announced on Friday morning.

“We had hundreds of employees lined up this morning to pick up laptop computers and/or mobile devices to continue working during this closure,” Siedlecki said.

The county said that facilities will be disinfected during the closure, and that residents can drop off tax and utility payments at drop boxes at various agency buildings.

The county did not provide an estimated fiscal impact for its 10-day closure.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated.