diff --git a/tools/cldr-code/src/main/java/org/unicode/cldr/draft/Misc.java b/tools/cldr-code/src/main/java/org/unicode/cldr/draft/Misc.java
index 208b904941e..369f9da9190 100644
--- a/tools/cldr-code/src/main/java/org/unicode/cldr/draft/Misc.java
+++ b/tools/cldr-code/src/main/java/org/unicode/cldr/draft/Misc.java
@@ -144,12 +144,11 @@ private static void showDefaultContent(String... strings) {
 
     private static void showSortKey() {
         String[] tests = "a ä A ぁ あ ァ ｧ ア ｱ ㋐".split(" ");
-        // TODO: freeze the Collator; problematic since changed in innermost for loop below
-        // Reference: https://unicode-org.atlassian.net/browse/CLDR-7428
         RuleBasedCollator c = (RuleBasedCollator) Collator.getInstance(ULocale.ROOT);
         c.setStrength(RuleBasedCollator.QUATERNARY);
         c.setCaseLevel(true);
         c.setHiraganaQuaternary(true);
+        // Do not freeze the collator since it is changed in the innermost "for" loop below
         for (String test : tests) {
             for (boolean caseLevel : new boolean[] {false, true}) {
                 c.setCaseLevel(caseLevel);
diff --git a/tools/cldr-code/src/main/java/org/unicode/cldr/tool/CLDRModify.java b/tools/cldr-code/src/main/java/org/unicode/cldr/tool/CLDRModify.java
index c3f7317d03b..4862da08f0f 100644
--- a/tools/cldr-code/src/main/java/org/unicode/cldr/tool/CLDRModify.java
+++ b/tools/cldr-code/src/main/java/org/unicode/cldr/tool/CLDRModify.java
@@ -2102,7 +2102,7 @@ public void handlePath(String xpath) {
                 "add annotation names to keywords",
                 new CLDRFilter() {
                     Set<String> available = Annotations.getAllAvailable();
-                    TreeSet<String> sorted = new TreeSet<>(Collator.getInstance(ULocale.ROOT));
+                    TreeSet<String> sorted = new TreeSet<>(CollatorHelper.ROOT_COLLATOR);
                     CLDRFile resolved;
                     Set<String> handledCharacters = new HashSet<>();
                     boolean isTop;
diff --git a/tools/cldr-code/src/main/java/org/unicode/cldr/tool/ExtractMessages.java b/tools/cldr-code/src/main/java/org/unicode/cldr/tool/ExtractMessages.java
index 3fd97cc8c16..ef1bfc29ab3 100644
--- a/tools/cldr-code/src/main/java/org/unicode/cldr/tool/ExtractMessages.java
+++ b/tools/cldr-code/src/main/java/org/unicode/cldr/tool/ExtractMessages.java
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 import org.unicode.cldr.util.CLDRFile.WinningChoice;
 import org.unicode.cldr.util.CLDRPaths;
 import org.unicode.cldr.util.CldrUtility;
+import org.unicode.cldr.util.CollatorHelper;
 import org.unicode.cldr.util.Factory;
 import org.unicode.cldr.util.Pair;
 import org.unicode.cldr.util.PathUtilities;
@@ -205,12 +206,7 @@ public void handlePathValue(String path, String value) {
         }
     }
 
-    public static Collator col = Collator.getInstance(ULocale.ROOT); // freeze below
-
-    static {
-        col.setStrength(Collator.SECONDARY);
-        col = col.freeze();
-    }
+    public static Collator col = CollatorHelper.ROOT_SECONDARY;
 
     private static OtherHandler otherHandler = new OtherHandler();