Discarded surgical mask in front of the Southern District courthouse in Manhattan. Both Southern and Eastern District courts barred people who have traveled to China, South Korea, Japan, Italy and Iran in the past 14 days. Photo: Ryland West/NYLJ

People who have been exposed to coronavirus are not allowed to enter federal courthouses in the Eastern District of New York, according to an administrative order signed by Chief Judge Roslynn Mauskopf.

The order is similar to one issued by the chief judge in the Southern District of New York. The Southern District went one step further and asked people to avoid the courthouse if they were suffering from "fever, cough or shortness or breath," identified as key symptoms of COVID-19, the illness associated with the novel coronavirus.

The order was dated Monday but posted on the court's website after the close of business.

Both districts barred people who have traveled to China, South Korea, Japan, Italy and Iran in the past 14 days, along with those travelers' close contacts and anyone else who has been asked to self-quarantine. The list of affected countries may change as the situation develops, the orders said.

Mauskopf also ordered that jails test the temperature of anyone scheduled to appear in Eastern District courthouses. If the inmate's temperature is above 100.4, they should not come to court, Mauskopf wrote in her order. The Southern District has also ordered temperature checks for inmates.

The Eastern District includes Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and all of Long Island. Its main courthouses are in downtown Brooklyn and Central Islip in Suffolk County.

New York has at least 170 confirmed cases of coronavirus, which is more than many other states around the country. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio urged city residents to consider working from home and avoiding crowded subway cars to prevent further spread.

This is a developing report.