Presiding Judge lifts masks order for 32nd Judicial Court

Following Friday's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announcement easing mask guidelines in the U.S., the 32nd Judicial Court on Monday officially dropped its Aug. 2 mask mandate.

"Effectively immediately, Administrative Order 23.2021, requiring face masks to be worn in all public areas of circuit court is hereby rescinded," wrote Presiding Judge Scott A. Lipke of Jackson.

The 32nd Judicial Court is comprised of Bollinger, Cape Girardeau and Perry counties.

According to COVID-19 County Check available on cdc.gov, Cape Girardeau County is listed currently as "low" risk for the coronavirus and its variants, while Bollinger and Perry are considered "medium" risk.

The new order, listed as 7.2022, lifts masking requirements in the public areas at Cape Girardeau County Courthouse in Jackson, Perry County Courthouse in Perryville, on the second floor of Bollinger County Courthouse (court division) in Marble Hill and the circuit court's juvenile office and court in Cape Girardeau.

The municipal courts in the cities of Cape Girardeau and Jackson are also governed by Lipke's order.

Last week, CDC's mask guidance changed, allowing most people to do away with face coverings so long as COVID hospitalizations in their communities remained low.

People are now advised, according to CDC, to wear masks in indoor public areas, including schools, when a lot of virus circulation in their communities might overwhelm local hospitals.

More than 70% of Americans live in areas where the wearing of face coverings is no longer CDC-recommended because hospitals are judged not to be under severe threat from the disease in those locales.