Courthouse COVID-19 mask orders expire in Greene, Washington counties
Separate emergency judicial orders overseeing masking rules and other COVID-19 safety protocols inside the courthouses in Greene and Washington counties have been eased.
Greene County President Judge Lou Dayich issued an order on June 30 relaxing the overall mask mandate that had been required for everyone inside the courthouse, although judges can still require face coverings during “in-courtroom proceedings where there is a prolonged and dense contact” between people.
Dayich’s newest order, which is set to expire Sept. 10, also requires masks to be worn in some situations where social distancing is not possible, but allows for individual row offices to determine their own rules for staff and visitors.
The order also encourages the use of video conferencing for hearings in the courthouse and magisterial district courts for criminal proceedings, and for all occasions in civil cases.
Those changes came a day before a similar emergency judicial order at the Washington County Courthouse expired. President Judge John DiSalle’s order, which still required unvaccinated people visiting the courthouse to wear masks, ended July 1 and there was no expectation that a new order would be filed.
Court Administrator Patrick Grimm said they plan to continue holding some legal proceedings through video conferencing, such as initial conferences in civil cases, along with conferences and reviews in family law and support cases.
Some criminal proceedings – such as preliminary hearings and probation or parole revocation hearings – will also be held through video conferencing to limit inmate transfers from the Washington County jail.
“We have been able to effectively process cases by video in the pandemic, and making greater use of technology to reduce transports has benefits in terms of security, eases burdens on staff and fiscal resources, and permits us to more orderly transition out of the emergency,” Grimm said in a written statement July 1.
There are no anticipated changes in the Fayette County Courthouse, where the last judicial order there expired Feb. 1, according to Court Administrator Karen Kuhn.
The courthouse has been holding a limited number of jury trials “on and off through the pandemic” since February in the three largest courtrooms during that time, Kuhn said. They are now holding trials and other proceedings in any courtroom available, she said.