B’klyn court is shut again as virus infection soars in NYC

The chief judge of Brooklyn Federal Court shut the building down to all in-person hearings Thursday due to the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic in the city.

Chief Judge Roslyn Mauskopf made the decision a week after she closed the courthouse to most other proceedings, including civil matters, trials and grand juries — but left open the possibility for criminal hearings to be held in person at the Downtown Brooklyn courthouse.

The Thursday order shuts down all in-person proceedings through Jan. 19 of next year.

“The Court community itself has also faced increased challenges in recent weeks. There have been repeated instances of individuals requiring quarantine due to actual or likely community exposure to COVID-19,” Mauskopf wrote in her Nov. 24 order that limited entry to the courthouse.

“These incidents involve witnesses, case and trial participants, defendants, court staff, court security personnel, and others.”

Brooklyn Federal Court was shut down in early September after a COVID-19 outbreak among security officers, the Daily News reported at the time.

The order also extends to the courthouse in Long Island’s Central Islip, which is the same district as the Brooklyn courthouse.

Mauskopf’s order comes just two days after the chief judge in Manhattan Federal Court made the same decision. Brooklyn Supreme Court, the state criminal courthouse, also shut its doors to in-person proceedings this week, The News reported.