Western lawyers call for virtual court hearings
Published:Wednesday | August 11, 2021 | 12:07 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
With recent outbreaks of the coronavirus resulting in the closure of the St James and Westmoreland parish courts, the Cornwall Bar Association (CBA) is calling for court sittings to be done virtually, which will allow cases to be heard minus the risk of spreading the virus.
Attorney-at-law Michael Hemmings, president of the CBA, told The Gleaner yesterday that while facilities are in place for circuit court and Western Regional Gun Court to have virtual sittings, there are no such provisions for the rooms where parish court hearings are kept.
“Our members are now calling out for court cases to be dealt with in the parish courts via Zoom. I know that there are Zoom facilities in place for the Gun Court and the high court [circuit court], but not for the parish court, so now we are going to seek for that to be done,” said Hemmings.
“The outbreak of the coronavirus at the parish courts in St James and Westmoreland has renewed a call from us that we need more stringent protocols in place to protect court staff and the persons who use the courthouses. We will be renewing the call for the retrofitting of the courtrooms so that we can observe the proper social distancing,” added Hemmings.
Over the weekend, reports surfaced that seven members of staff at the St James Parish Court had tested positive for COVID-19. The courthouse was subsequently ordered closed, effective Monday, August 9.
The Westmoreland Parish Court, which was initially operating with reduced manpower on Monday after also reporting COVID-19 cases among its staff, has also been ordered closed, effective Tuesday, August 10.
According to the Court Administration Division, a set date has not yet been determined for resumption of operations at the two parish courthouses.
A further assessment is expected to be done at both courthouses later this week before a resumption date can be decided.
In the meantime, Hemmings says stronger security measures are needed to control how many people congregate outside courthouse entrances, to better enforce social distancing guidelines.
“We need to put a system in place to limit the number of persons who gather there at the entrance, whether it be a ticketing system or persons joining a line, observing proper social distancing along the perimeter of the court,” said Hemmings.