Guyana to safeguard Magistrates, Judges from Coronovirus

Mar 16, 2020 News

From sanitizing of visitors to setting up glass barriers around magistrates, the Judiciary is pulling out the stops to protect itself and those around them from the deadly Coronavirus.
Visitors to the Magisterial, High and Appeal Courts will see some of those measures in place from today.

Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts

The decision was made last Friday at a High Court meeting that was attended by Chief Justice (ag) Roxanne George, Judges, Magistrates and other members of the Judiciary.
The officials discussed measures that would be put in place from contracting Covid-19 from persons who might be infected and have matters in court.
Kaieteur News was informed that as from today, persons will be sanitized at the main entrance of the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before they are allowed to enter the courtyard.
Persons attending court will be requested to walk with their personal hand sanitizers.
No one will be allowed in the courtroom if they are not sanitized.
Precautionary measures will also be taken in the courtrooms; glass barriers will also be erected to block the Magistrates from the public.
The same measures were put in place for the High Court, Court of Appeal and the other Magistrates’ Courts around Guyana.
Persons who are requested to not attend court if they are displaying symptoms similar to those infected with Covid-19.
Since last week, persons working in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts have been ensuring the courts were sanitized.

The High Court

On Friday, a police officer seconded to the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts stopped three reporters from entering a courtroom until the Magistrate was on the bench.
The officer noted that based on orders from the Magistrate, besides the police prosecutors, police officers and the clerk no one else will be allowed to enter the courtroom unless court is in session.
Since Guyana confirmed its first case of the deadly Coronavirus (Covid-19), persons have been taking all the necessary precautions to protect themselves from contracting the virus. With Guyana now having four reported cases of Covid-19, the Ministry of Public Health has stated that is ramping up its Covid-19 response.