Headed to court in Manatee, Sarasota or DeSoto counties? You’ll need a mask inside
Masks are again required inside courthouses in Manatee, Sarasota and DeSoto counties, the 12th Judicial Circuit Court announced.
Beginning Monday — exactly six weeks after mask mandates and other COVID-19 protocols were dropped — face coverings are mandatory in all public areas of the courthouses. It comes at a time when Florida COVID rates are surging and local testing sites are getting more crowded.
In his order signed Friday, Chief Judge Charles E. Roberts cited data from the CDC that determined “the level of community transmission of COVID-19 is high in all three counties.” That data was current as of Thursday.
Manatee County had 1,552 new cases of the coronavirus reported for the week ending Thursday, according to the Florida Department of Health’s weekly report. The county’s seven-day positivity rate was 17.5% for the same time period.
Florida set a record with the highest daily count of new cases, reporting 21,683 new cases to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hospitalizations hit numbers not seen since last year, with 9,797 people hospitalized and confirmed to have COVID-19 across Florida.
Anyone who refuses to wear a mask will not be allowed into the courthouse, according to Roberts’ order. Disposable masks will be provided for anyone who forgets to bring one.
Jurors will be required to wear masks as well, and anyone who refuses will have jury duty deferred. Employees of other agencies whose offices are in the courthouse will also be required to follow the order and wear a mask when in public areas, including elevators and stairwells.
The new order is scheduled to expire on Aug. 31 unless modified, extended or rescinded by another order from the court.
Last week, a previous order from Roberts had required anyone who is not fully vaccinated to wear a mask inside the courthouse. That order cited new mask guidance from the CDC and the current surge of new COVID-19 cases because of the delta variant.
Masks, social distancing and other remaining COVID-19 protocols had been eliminated on June 21, in an order from former Chief Judge Kimberly Bonner dated June 14.
This story was originally published August 2, 2021 at 1:15 PM.
