After two employees in the 13th Circuit Court tested positive for COVID-19, both Boone County and Callaway County courts moved Sunday to operating phase one.
One employee who works in the Boone County Courthouse tested positive, and another employee who works in the Callaway County Courthouse also tested positive. According to a news release, the two positive cases are not related.
The switch to phase one will reinstate a 10-person limit in courtrooms, in accordance with U.S. Supreme Court operational guidelines, according to a news release. However, restrictions will be relaxed during jury trials. Jurors and all attendees will still be required to wear masks and social distance. Per operational guidelines, both courts will be in phase one for at least two weeks.
The return to phase one operations signals a pendulum swing in Boone County back towards restrictions and caution. The courts had gradually reopened over the course of September after a previous mandatory period of phase one operation when courthouse personnel tested positive at the beginning of the month.