No fevers allowed. Temperature checks begin at NYC courthouses
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A court officer administers a temperature check at a courthouse entrance. Photo courtesy of OCA
By David Brand
Before passing through the metal detectors at the entrance to New York City courthouses, visitors Monday encountered two new precautions: temperature checks and questionnaires designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in reopened court buildings.
On Monday morning, court officers began using forehead scanners to check the body temperatures of all non-court personnel, according to the Office of Court Administration.
Officers wearing personal protective equipment and face shields point a thermometer, manufactured by the corporation Yuwell, at visitors’ foreheads and record their temperature before they are allowed to proceed to the metal detectors and pass into the rest of the court building.
Anyone with a temperature above 100 degrees Fahrenheit is prohibited from entering the building, OCA said. The screening protocols, which took effect Monday morning, apply to all visitors, including litigants, attorneys, witnesses, spectators, law enforcement officers, prisoners and vendors.
“As always, the health and safety of our workforce and of the public remain the top [Unified Court System] priorities as we return to courthouse and office settings around the state in coming days and weeks,” said OCA Executive Director John McConnell and Chief of Operations Nancy Barry in a memo to chief clerks June 30.
Court personnel are not subject to the temperature checks, though a clerk in Queens Criminal Court tested positive for COVID-19 after returning to work last week following a trip to Texas.
Each court visitor must also respond to three questions before passing through the metal detectors.
A court officer takes the temperature of an NYPD officer before she can proceed into the courthouse. Photo courtesy of OCA
Court officers specifically ask whether, within the last 14 days, the visitor has had a fever, cough, shortness of breath or any flu-like symptoms.
The officers also ask whether the visitor has tested positive for COVID-19 or been in close contact with anyone diagnosed with COVID-19, and whether they have returned from traveling abroad or to a state with a rising rate of COVID-19.
An executive order issued by Gov. Andrew Cuomo last month requires people to self-quarantine for two weeks if they have traveled to New York from states with spiking COVID rates.
Anyone who answers yes to one of the three questions will be prohibited from entering the courthouse.
