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6.10.20 NYC Courts Re-Opening
By June 10, 2020 Posted in Firm News Share
On June 9, 2020, Chief Judge DiFiore made an announcement that New York City courthouses are opening for judges and designated staff in the City’s five boroughs returning to their courthouses beginning on Wednesday, June 10, 2020. Although the City’s courthouses remained open during the pandemic, state Courts limited their operations, consolidated court facilities, and implemented some virtual court operations in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Starting June 10, 2020, New York state court system judges, chambers staff, and support staff in the City’s five boroughs will return to their courthouses. Areas of the courthouse will open in phases, similar to the system implemented by the State in the State’s reopening plan.
During the first phase, judges’ chambers, clerk’s offices and back offices will be utilized. Safety measures will be implemented to reduce traffic throughout the courthouse and to protect the safety of the judges, staff, attorneys, litigants and members of the public. Other safety measures to be implemented will include the following:
(1) Non-employee court visitors will be required to undergo COVID-19 screening before entering the courthouse.
(2) All staff who interact with court visitors must wear a mask.
(3) Anyone entering the courthouse will be required to wear a mask.
(4) Courthouse areas will be carefully marked to ensure proper physical distancing.
(5) Court facilities will be regularly sanitized.
(6) Acrylic barriers, hand sanitizer dispensers and other safety features will be installed in courthouse areas as need.
To start, court business will be conducted virtually. For pro se litigants who do not have access to the necessary technology for virtual appearances, courthouse space will be allocated where essential court services can be accessed. It remains to be seen how this will be implemented in a practical sense.
More details regarding the expanding court operations will be announced as the State recovers and reopens from the COVID-19 pandemic. Griffin Alexander, P.C. will continue to closely monitor the re-opening of the courts and their operations in the five boroughs.
The information in this Client Alert is provided solely for information purposes. It should not be construed as legal advice on any specific matter and is not intended to create an attorney-client relationship. The information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based upon particular circumstances. Each legal matter is unique, and prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
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