Two Masks Now Required to Enter Manhattan Federal Court Buildings

Visitors to Manhattan federal court and other buildings in the Southern District of New York are now required to either wear two face masks or an FDA-approved N95 mask.

The double-mask requirement was included in the federal court district’s COVID-19 “phased re-entry plan” released on Feb. 11.

“You are required to wear either: (i) one disposable mask underneath a cloth mask
with the edges of the inner mask pushed against your face; or (ii) a properly fitted, FDA-authorized KN95 (or N95) mask,” the text of the plan states.

“Gaiters, bandannas, or masks with valves/vents are not acceptable face coverings. If you do not have the approved mask(s), a screener will provide one. No one will be admitted without the proper mask(s),” it adds.

Security guards at the court buildings — which include the Daniel Patrick Moynihan courthouse at 500 Pearl Street, the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse at 40 Foley Square and District Court in White Plains — will enforce the mask mandate.

The plan extends only to the federal courthouses in the district, but other federal court districts across the country can impose similar mandates if they choose to.

The CDC last week recommended double masking for more protection against COVID-19.

“If you have a physical covering with one layer, you put another layer on, it just makes common sense that it likely would be more effective,” top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said in January.

Source: New York Post