Judges’ retreat apparently became superspreader event; karaoke said to be one of the activities
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Twenty out of 70-plus New York City judges who attended a retreat in the Hamptons last week tested positive for COVID-19 in the days that followed.
The illness has had little effect on cases, New York courts spokesperson Lucian Chalfen told the New York Times and the New York Law Journal. That is because the judges are from many different courts, and those who are asymptomatic are allowed to resume work while wearing masks.
“You’re talking about less than 20 people out of hundreds of judges in New York City,” Chalfen told the New York Times.
Chalfen said he is unaware of any judges who are seriously ill. All the judges were vaccinated, “as per our protocols,” Chalfen told the New York Law Journal.
The conference took place at Gurney’s Star Island on Long Island in New York, which is sometimes referred to by its former name, the Montauk Yacht Club, according to the New York Times.
The three-night retreat was sponsored by the New York City Criminal Court Judges Association.
One of the activities at the event was a karaoke session, according to an unnamed source who spoke with the New York Times. The New York Times noted that singing has been linked to spread of the virus.
