Guidelines issued on court lockdowns

The Supreme Court has told executive judges not to lock down the courts unless a court employee has tested positive for the coronavirus disease in the RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) test.

In guidelines issued on Tuesday, Court Administrator Midas Marquez said court lockdowns of 14 days would be allowed only when the positive result of a rapid test on an employee had been confirmed in the RT-PCR, or swab test.

Pending release of the test results, the court employee who tested positive in the rapid antibody test should go on self-quarantine.

The guidelines were issued after several trial courts in Metro Manila closed down within days of reopening on June 1, either because some court employees tested positive or were exposed to the coronavirus. —Dona Z. Pazzibugan