NewsCoronavirus

Actions

Howard County District Court employee tests positive for coronavirus, first confirmed case within Maryland Judiciary

Posted at 5:00 PM, Mar 24, 2020
and last updated 2020-03-24 17:02:46-04

HOWARD COUNTY, Md. — An employee of the District Court of Maryland in Howard County has tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

This is the first confirmed case of COVID-19 within the Maryland Judiciary.

The individual last worked at the courthouse located at 3451 Courthouse Drive in Ellicott City on March 12.

The individual sought medical attention and was tested on March 17. The individual communicated the positive test results to a supervisor on March 24.

The Maryland Judiciary has since reported the case to the Howard County Health Department, the Maryland Department of Health, and the Maryland Department of General Services.

Judiciary personnel, in conjunction with public health agencies, are communicating with the individuals likely to have come into contact with the employee. Appropriate areas of the courthouse have been sealed and will be sanitized.

As of Tuesday, the District Court in Howard County is still closed to the general public, but it is staffed with essential personnel to hear emergency matters.

The Maryland Judiciary say they are committed to taking the necessary steps to protect the health of the public and Judiciary personnel while fulfilling constitutional obligations to hear certain emergency matters.