Tuesday, April 7, 2020
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Wearing Face Covers in Courthouses Is Encouraged, Presiding Judge Says
Bench Officers, Staff to Be Supplied With Masks
By a MetNews Staff Writer
Judges of the Los Angeles Superior Court and court staff members are encouraged to wear face covers during the present coronavirus epidemic, Presiding Judge Kevin Brazile said yesterday, announcing that masks will be supplied over the next few days.
This follows last week’s advisory that all persons who are authorized to be in courthouses may adopt “business casual attire,” which includes jeans, but excludes tee-shirts and shorts.
Brazile said that the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the county’s Department of Public Health have issued guidelines “encouraging, but not requiring, the use of non-medical grade face covers as an additional measure to reduce transmission of COVID-19.” He said court Executive Officer Sherri Carter will oversee distribution of “a limited number” of such covers which, he noted, will be of the “type generally used to filter dust particles.”
The presiding judge related:
“Courtroom staff and others who have contact with the public, and others will be given priority to receive these face coverings, will be provided with instructions for safe use. Recognizing these are not masks that can be frequently reused, staff is also working to procure cloth face masks in order to provide each employee with two; one to wear while the other is being washed.”
He encouraged judges and staff members to bring their own face covers.
“Those judicial officers working in courthouses will also be provided with the dust masks as well as two cloth masks each, once procured,” Brazile said.
Copyright 2020, Metropolitan News Company