A woman faces criminal charges after she falsely claimed she had the coronavirus and caused a central Arkansas courthouse to be evacuated Wednesday.
Celia Hill, 34, of North Little Rock, faces counts of filing a false report, obstructing governmental operations and contempt of court.
According to KATV.com Hill was at Mayflower District Court to face a misdemeanor drug charge when she apparently became ill and told people that she might have the coronavirus, according to authorities. Authorities cleared the courthouse and took Hill to an area hospital for testing.
Mayflower Police Chief Robert Alcon said later that Hill had tested negative for the virus. He cited the Arkansas Department of Health.
Mayflower Prosecuting Attorney David Hogue said he did not know the results of the test but he confirmed that Hill faces charges.
“As far as we can tell, she lied about having the coronavirus,” Hogue said.
Hogue said Hill initially refused to be taken to an area hospital. A judge then issued an order requiring her to submit to a blood test. Medics wearing face masks were later seen taking her away from the courthouse on a stretcher.
The scare comes amid growing concern over whether the U.S. is prepared to handle an outbreak of the virus. More than 80,000 cases have been reported around the world, mostly in China. President Donald Trump is set to discuss the coronavirus threat in a news conference tonight.
The Trump administration has asked Congress for an additional $2.5 billion to speed development of a vaccine, support preparedness and response activities, and to gather needed equipment and supplies.
Mayflower is a city of 2,400 about 25 miles north of Little Rock.
There have been no confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Arkansas.
The Arkansas Department of Health said in a statement Wednesday that it was aware of what happened at the courthouse. The department said it was “working with health care providers to assess the person to determine if they have a communicable disease.”
“If there is a risk to Arkansans being exposed to the virus here, we will communicate that as quickly as possible,” the statement says.
The Associated Press contributed information to this report.
