Masks Required To Enter Courthouses In Sarasota, Manatee, DeSoto

SARASOTA, FL — To adapt to the surge in COVID-19 cases throughout the region and the state, Twelfth Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Charles Roberts issued an administrative order requiring that face masks be worn in all public areas of courthouses in DeSoto, Manatee and Sarasota counties.

The order, which was signed Friday and went into effect Monday, is effective through Aug. 31.

“The health, safety and well-being of courthouse visitors, jurors, court employees and judicial officers are a high priority, and we must continue to take steps to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on the courts, its participants and the general public, while fulfilling the court system’s responsibilities for the administration of justice,” Roberts wrote in administrative order No. 2021-15.a.2.

His order follows updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reduce the spread of the virus in areas of substantial or high transmission of COVID-19 – which includes DeSoto, Manatee and Sarasota counties – people should wear masks indoors whether they’re vaccinated or not.

Florida continues to lead the United States in new cases reported each week. The number of new cases has increased tenfold in Sarasota and Manatee counties over the past month.

“The most recently released data continues to show an alarming upward trend in cases. The most recent 14-day trend shows a 300 (percent) increase in cases in Manatee County, a 287 (percent) increase in cases in Sarasota County and a 129 (percent) increase in cases in DeSoto County,” Roberts said.

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From July 23-29, 1,552 new coronavirus cases were reported in Manatee County, as well as a new case positivity rate of 17.5 percent, according to the Florida Department of Health’s COVID-19 Weekly Situation Report.

Just 139 cases were reported in Manatee County four weeks earlier, for the week of June 25 to July 1, according to the state DOH report for that week. The positivity rate was also much lower that week at 3.9 percent.

In Sarasota County, 1,412 new coronavirus cases, as well as a new case positivity rate of 13.3 percent, was reported July 23-29. Four weeks prior to that, just 141 cases and a 3.5 percent positivity rate were reported in the county for the week of June 25 to July 1, according to state data.

Those who don’t have a mask when entering a courthouse will be given one. Anyone who refuses to comply with the mask requirement will be denied entry to the courthouse and their absence at a court hearing will be considered unexcused, Roberts said.

Employees of other agencies with offices in private or secure areas of a courthouse should follow their agency’s face mask guidelines in those spaces.