Courts in Delaware resume a mask mandate next week.
In order to combat the COVID-19 Delta variant, Delaware Supreme Court Chief Justice Collins Seitz announced the state Judicial Branch will require masks in state court buildings starting Monday, August 16.The order signed Wednesday also mandates weekly COVID testing for all unvaccinated court employees starting September 7.
The mask order applies to all visitors to state judicial facilities and all judicial branch employees. The only exception will be in courtrooms when a participant is speaking or for employees in their own offices or in a socially distant work area.
Delaware Courts previously imposed a mask mandate at the start of the COVID pandemic, but that restriction was lifted for fully vaccinated individuals on July 1.
The Delaware Judicial Branch will continue to operate normally, but Chief Justice Seitz encourages courts to continue to use remote proceedings developed during the pandemic whenever possible.