S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5027
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             February 11, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A. JACOBSON, MAGNARELLI, EACHUS -- read once and
   referred to the Committee on Health
 
 AN ACT to amend the public health law,  in  relation  to  requiring  the
   department of health to develop rules for all courts in New York state
   to protect the court employees and the public from COVID-19

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 201 of the public  health  law  is
 amended by adding a new paragraph (z) to read as follows:
   (Z)  DEVELOP RULES, STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES FOR MEASURES TO BE IMPLE-
 MENTED AT EVERY COURT IN THE STATE TO PROTECT THE  COURT  EMPLOYEES  AND
 THE  PUBLIC  FROM THE SPREAD OF THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) INCLUD-
 ING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO: (I) PROTECTIVE BARRIERS TO BE INSTALLED AT  THE
 JUDGE'S  BENCH, THE WITNESS STAND, THE JURY BOX AND SUCH OTHER LOCATIONS
 AS THE DEPARTMENT  SHALL  DEEM  NECESSARY;  (II)  STANDARDS  FOR  SOCIAL
 DISTANCING  AND  THE WEARING OF FACE COVERINGS BY COURT EMPLOYEES AND BY
 MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC PARTICIPATING IN OR  WATCHING  COURT  PROCEEDINGS;
 (III) TESTING OF ALL COURT EMPLOYEES AFTER IT IS DISCOVERED THAT A COURT
 EMPLOYEE  OR MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC AT THE COURT FACILITY HAS TESTED POSI-
 TIVE FOR COVID-19; (IV) QUARANTINE OF ANY COURT EMPLOYEE WHO HAS  TESTED
 POSITIVE AND THE REQUIREMENT THAT SAID INFECTED EMPLOYEE PRODUCE A NEGA-
 TIVE  TEST  RESULT  BEFORE BEING ALLOWED TO RETURN TO WORK; AND (V) SUCH
 OTHER MEASURES AS THE DEPARTMENT MAY DEEM NECESSARY OR DESIRABLE.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD02378-01-5