Courts stay shut

COURT buildings will stay closed until midnight on Wednesday as the Judiciary continues to implement new modes of operation during the covid19 pandemic.

A media release from the Judiciary on Monday night said the closure was extended to midnight on April 1.

“The Judiciary continues to offer services from its electronic platforms, as we strive to protect the welfare of staff and stakeholders alike by limiting the physical interface between stakeholder and judiciary officials at the nation’s court houses,” the release said.

It added that its operations as an essential service have not been halted but has been adjusted as guided by the protocols that are being put in place internationally.

A separate release gave further details on measures implemented during the covid19 shutdown which came into effect at midnight on Sunday. The Judiciary said it was reconfiguring its operations to provide its services in the time of a pandemic, similar to what is being done by many Judiciaries internationally.

“Surely it will be understood that with the critical need for people to stay home, as far as is possible, in order to save lives and our country, the Judiciary has to ensure that stakeholders can access its services without having to come through courthouses or having all of the judges, judicial officers and staff leave their homes,” the second release said.

“This short period of retrofit takes into account not only the readiness of the Judiciary, but also of our stakeholders who have to link with us electronically. The Judiciary is therefore applying this brief period to getting its linkages in order. We continue to operate.”

Some of the measures implemented for the pandemic include expanding video conferencing capability in prisons, which includes constructing containerised rooms.

Other measures include:

*Hearing charge cases remotely by online video hearings with police stations.

* Electronic filings for private and state attorneys, with online payment of filing fees.

* Introduce remote filing for self-represented litigants and the setting up of a self-represented litigant hotline.

*Setting up a domestic violence court hotline for applications for protection orders.

*Calling recipients of maintenance for whom the Judiciary is holding money and arranging to send the funds to their accounts or to special bank pay cards.

*Online applications to switch as many maintenance payors and recipients to CourtPay services as possible so recipients and children receive maintenance money without delay and payors can pay without delay.

*Preparing the Judiciary’s chatbot on it’s website to provide information to the public

* Manning its special e-mail address. COVID.Response.Public@ttlawcourts.org to field questions from and communicate with members of the public.

The Judiciary also said it was using all possible channels and media to keep the public and stakeholders informed while supporting its judges and staff with a medical response team and providing PPE to staff who are in the buildings.

Further measures include online counselling sessions with children before the children’s court; online family counselling with family court customers; using an appointment system to ensure social distancing where self-represented litigants are required to attend court; doting family mediation by online video and by teleconferencing; exploring a system of online civil and petty civil mediation; issuing court orders and warrants electronically; e-lodging probate applications through Judiciary e-services platform; and holding online court hearings in district courts, High Court (civil, criminal, family and children) and Court of Appeal.

“The Judiciary takes extremely seriously this pandemic and the Government’s exhortations for people to stay at home and follow the rules and insists on doing its part as a responsible arm of the State to ensure the wellbeing of our people,” the release said.