Cobb County courts reinstate mask mandate as COVID cases rise

Superior Court Chief Judge Robert Leonard this week reinstated a mask mandate at the Cobb County courthouse after coronavirus transmission levels hit a critical threshold over the holiday weekend.

For the first time since February, Cobb has reached what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers a high community transmission level, with more than 200 new cases reported per 100,000 people over the last week.

Leonard in March issued an order that automatically reinstates mask requirements and social distancing protocols inside the court complex when Cobb meets the CDC’s threshold for high transmission.

While hospitalizations are increasing, they remain well below past pandemic surges. As of Sunday, only 6% of the county’s Intensive Care Unit beds were filled with coronavirus patients, according to the CDC.

No other county government facilities have made operational changes at this time, the county said in a news release.

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