A mask mandate has returned to Dallas County government buildings where workers interact with the public, a county probate judge said Friday.

Dallas County Probate Judge Jimmy Nunn told WAKA the requirement was reinstated for the Dallas County Courthouse and the courthouse annex and county administrative buildings amid a rise in COVID cases both across the country and in the county.

“At this point in time it is only being taken effect in the government buildings that the public come into,” Nunn said, according to WAKA. “And that will be the three buildings that we have. The courthouse, the annex and the administrative building. These three buildings in which the public come in and we provide services to the public.”

Nunn said the COVID cases have been traced to the government buildings.

He said the mandate would remain in effect as long as cases continue to climb in Dallas County.

Alabama has seen nearly a 300% increase in COVID hospitalizations since early July, although the numbers are still far below the surges the state has seen in the past.

CDC data also shows Alabama has some of the highest rates in the country for both regular and ICU hospital beds that are filled by COVID patients, and the percent of emergency department visits that were diagnosed with COVID.

While it appears no other Alabama county has publicly announced a return of mask mandates, Talladega City Schools encouraged students to wear masks but said the policy was not a requirement.

“This is not a mask mandate, but a general encouragement to be more conscious of our health,” the district said late last month.