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Gaston County judge returned to the bench while awaiting positive COVID-19 test result

District Court Judge Michael Lands said he was tested on Veterans Day. He returned to the bench for a case the next day while awaiting his test results.

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — A Gaston County judge briefly returned to court last month while awaiting the results of what ended up being a positive COVID-19 test after he was exposed at the Gaston County Courthouse. 

District Court Judge Michael Lands told WCNC Charlotte he got tested for COVID-19 when courts were closed for Veterans Day on Nov. 11, 2020. Lands said he returned to the courthouse the next day for a case that lasted a few minutes before it was postponed to another date. 

Judge Lands said he left the courthouse for lunch before he found out he was positive for coronavirus. He then quarantined for 14 days and returned to the bench earlier this week. 

The North Carolina Judiciary Branch has no specific public policy for what judges or court employees should do while they await a test result. Gaston County Department of Health and Human Services, however, recommends anyone who gets a COVID-19 test should quarantine while they await results.

Gov. Roy Cooper announced this week that North Carolina officials anticipate receiving the first shipment of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines later this month. Cooper said the first doses will go to frontline health care workers. By January, North Carolina hopes to begin vaccinating high-risk individuals and those with the greatest chance of severe illness, including nursing home residents. They hope to have the vaccine available to the general public by next summer.

RELATED: Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine will be free for everyone in the state, Gov. Cooper says

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