Court Guidance – Social Distancing measures expand as Courts seek to support effort
The Lord Chief Justice and Secretary of State for Justice have today published more guidance as the fight to maintain the justice system whilst supporting the national effort on social distancing continues at a pace .
The Court has issued guidance previously :
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-courts-and-tribunals-planning-and-preparation
Essentially the Courts are open for business as usual , however if you or a party has suspected coronavirus then steps have to be taken so the Court can on a case by case basis advise what steps you should now be taking
All court and tribunal users should read the latest information about prevention, treatment and travel. These include but are not limited to witnesses, those attending for jury service, professional courts users and justice system partners.
Stay at home for 7 days if you have either:
- a high temperature
- a new continuous cough
Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital.
You do not need to contact 111 to tell them you’re staying at home.
Read advice about staying at home.
As long as you, or the people who are coming to court with you, do not have confirmed or possible coronavirus (COVID-19) infection, you should continue to use courts and tribunals as usual. This includes those attending for jury service. Please see our guidance on what to expect when coming to court and our guidance on entering a court or tribunal building.
However, if you, or the people who are coming to court with you, do have confirmed or possible coronavirus (COVID-19) infection, you should contact the court or tribunal in which the hearing is due to take place. You can find contact details on Courts and Tribunals Finder.
Previously the Lord Chief Justice took preliminary steps limiting new Trials to ones of less than 3 days to limit the interaction of the large number of participants required in a criminal trial . However today the inevitable need to go further has led to all trials wherever possible now being put on hold .
There are now on going discussions about what further steps are required by the Courts and it seems inevitable that further restrictions will follow sooner rather than later