Vax or no vax: Court staff, judges must mask up

The Unified Court System will require all people to wear masks inside public spaces in court buildings beginning Friday, Aug. 13, 2021.  Photo courtesy of OCA

Court staff and judges will be required to wear masks inside public spaces in courthouses and court buildings regardless of their vaccination status starting Friday, Aug. 13, Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence K. Marks said in an email to staff and judges obtained by the Eagle.

Judges and staff who are vaccinated and have received orange cards do not have to wear their mask in non-public areas or in back offices under the new policy, according to the OCA. Staff and judges who have proven their vaccination status also will not have to take daily temperature checks or COVID-19 self-assessments.

“We regret having to take this step but are convinced it is a necessary precaution to protect against the increased risks posed by the Delta variant,” the email said. “ We will notify you of any further policy changes that may be necessary as we continue to adapt to changes in circumstances.”

In her weekly message this week, Chief Judge Janet DiFiore announced that all unvaccinated judges and non-judicial employees will be required to be regularly tested for COVID-19.

The changes come as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention revised their COVID-19 mask guidance to recommend that unvaccinated and vaccinated people alike wear masks indoors.

The rise of the Delta variant – a mutated strain of the novel coronavirus – has caused a spike in positive cases throughout the city. The variant has accounted for 90 percent of all positive cases tested in the city in the past month.

A little over 3.2 percent of tests in New York City have been positive in the past month.

Hospitalizations and deaths as a result of COVID-19 – though they remain far less frequent than they were during the city’s other spikes in cases – have also steadily increased over the past month.

On average, around 64 people have been hospitalized per day in the past week throughout the five boroughs and six people have died per day on average in the past week, according to the city’s health department.

The rise in cases has been reflected throughout the court system as well.

Sixty-one people throughout the state’s court system have tested positive for COVID-19 through the first 12 days of August, according to the OCA. There were 33 positive cases throughout the entire month of July.

In June, there were eight positive cases.

In Queens courts, there have been nine positive cases through the first 12 days of August. There were four cases in July and none in June.

The Unified Court System is one of several institutions to update their mask wearing guidelines in recent days as the Delta variant becomes more pernicious.

The New York State Board of Education followed in the recommendation of the CDC and recommended all students in public schools wear masks, regardless of vaccination status during the coming school year.

The Diocese of Brooklyn, which oversees Catholic schools in Queens and Brooklyn, will require all students, faculty and staff members to wear masks beginning on the first day of school.