Howard County District Court employee tests positive for COVID-19

ELLICOTT CITY, 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, March 24, the District Court in Howard County is still closed to the general public, but it is staffed with essential personnel to hear emergency matters as outlined in the Administrative Order on Statewide Judiciary Restricted Operations Due to the COVID-19 Emergency.

The Maryland Judiciary is 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.

For more information about the impact on the Maryland Judiciary due to COVID-19, please visit: https://mdcourts.gov/coronavirusupdate.

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