Virus-positive prosecutor prompts court lockdown
MANILA, Philippines — The New Hall of Justice in Mandaluyong City and the Old Ombudsman Building on Taft Avenue, Manila, have both been placed under lockdown until June 29 to give way to disinfection and sanitation procedures.
The lockdown was declared after one of the public prosecutors in Mandaluyong City tested positive for the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
In a memorandum dated June 14, acting Executive Judge Ofelia Calo of the Mandaluyong Regional Trial Court (RTC) said that “upon verification, [the prosecutor] still reported to the office sometime last week, and that upon tracing, some court personnel and judges of this station had physical dealings with the office of the city prosecutor …”
The prosecutor also recently visited the Old Ombudsman Building in Manila, Supreme Court spokesperson Brian Keith Hosaka confirmed in a statement sent to reporters.
All RTC and metropolitan trial court (MeTC) judges and personnel at the Mandaluyong New Hall of Justice have been required to undergo self-quarantine.
All pleadings and court submissions may be coursed through the email accounts of the RTCs and MeTCs during the two-week lockdown, Calo said.
Self-quarantineIn a memorandum released on Monday, Manila Metropolitan Trial Court Executive Judge Carissa Manook-Frondozo said that all court employees must undergo a 14-day self-quarantine to minimize and prevent contact with the public until the lockdown was lifted.
The Old Ombudsman Building houses several metropolitan and regional trial courts.
“Permission has also been granted from the office of the court administrator that branches affected may adopt the procedures/guidelines enacted during the enhanced community quarantine,” Frondozo said in her memorandum.
This meant that courts could still conduct video conference hearings and accept pleadings filed electronically during the two-week shutdown.
No one, however, would be allowed to enter the building.
The Manila City government on Monday began disinfecting the court premises and employees were directed to leave early in the afternoon.
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