The Kentucky Supreme Court is lifting most COVID-19 restrictions for the state court system with the changes effective immediately.
Chief Justice John D. Minton, Jr., a Trigg County native, made the announcement Tuesday in wake of the Centers for Disease Control’s latest guidance for fully vaccinated individuals. He said he was pleased the Supreme Court has lifted most of the COVID-19 restrictions for employees, elected officials and those entering court facilities across the commonwealth.
According to an Administrative Order pertaining to COVID-19 health and safety requirements, in-person access to court facilities will now be allowed for any individual with business before the courts, except those who have COVID symptoms, have tested positive for the virus, or have been exposed to the coronavirus. The orders also eliminate the mask requirement for fully vaccinated members of the public entering court facilities as well as vaccinated elected officials and employees. However, the
FRANKFORT, Ky. (KT) – Folks scrambling to find their birth certificate and other documentation needed to get a REAL ID before the October deadline, can take a deep breath; the
There’s yet another delay in Real ID requirements for air travelers.
The new deadline from the Department of Homeland Security is May 3rd, 2023.
It was supposed to be October 1st, but it has been delayed repeatedly over the past decade because states were not prepared for the new rules and now because of COVid-19.
Real ID compliant cards are issued after a thorough check of an applicant’s identification. The new licenses have a star on the upper right-hand corner.
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary Jim Gray said Kentucky’s issuance of REAL ID licenses and IDs will continue, as will the transition of all driver licensing services – standard-issue licenses and permits as well as REAL ID-compliant credentials – to KYTC Driver Licensing Regional Offices and away from the Office of Circuit Court Clerk in each county.
Kentuckians will have more time to get a REAL ID after it was announced Wednesday morning that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has extended the full enforcement deadline by 19 months.
The announcement came from Governor Andy Beshear who said the extension will give license issuance agencies time to recover operating capacity that was restricted to abide by health guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new enforcement date is May 3, 2023, instead of the previous start date of October 1, 2021.
Governor Beshear said this extension is a prudent move. He added the state is rolling out a modern, efficient network of Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Driver Licensing Regional Offices to issues all REAL-ID compliant licenses and identification cards. He said these offices have and continue to operate at limited capacity to meet social distancing and other ‘Healthy at Work’ requirements.