By Gabriel Princewill-
Recent news that there are no plans are in place to test court users for coronavirus before they attend in-person trials, has alarmed criminal lawyers , after the government’s made the unpublicised statement today.
Lawyers today protested against that state of affairs, claiming that the criminal justice system cannot function without further safety measures.
HM Courts & Tribunals Service said Covid testing in courts is kept under constant revision.
Under the current framework of the court system. court users including lawyers, jurors, and witnesses ,will not be tested for the virus before entering the court estate.
HMCTS representatives told The Eye Of Media.Com that there are sufficient safeguards in place.
Criminal lawyers objected seriously against the decision not to test court attendees, especially as plane passengers are required to show a positive test before they can enter many countries.
Lawyers say the justice system cannot continue to function without on-site testing
‘These include plexiglass screens in court rooms, remote technology, and social distancing measures which have been introduced across the estate.’
The Criminal Bar Association (CBA) echoed sentiments of dissatisfaction, stating that the criminal justice system cannot continue to operate without rapid testing.
James Mulholland QC, chair of the CBA, said: ‘If testing was made available for the lorry drivers piling up at Dover and other ports before Christmas, it must be made available to help address backlogs as trials queue up for a courtroom.
‘If it is sufficiently important that our children are tested then it must be sufficiently important for all court users to have kits present at court if criminal justice is to continue to function.’
Mulholland insisted defendants in custody also need to be tested before they arrive at court for trial.
‘Whilst court rooms are generally large and well ventilated, cell areas are not. We need to learn important lessons from the discharge of individuals from hospitals into care homes. Additionally, mass testing needs to be considered in situations where individuals in a particular court have tested positive for the virus.’
The obstacle in implementing testing procedures in courts is believed to be associated with costs. Only those experiencing symptoms are automatically eligible to free testing- all other members who wish to know whether they are Covid-19 positive are expecting to pay for a test.
A HMCTS spokesperson said: ‘We are in a much stronger position to manage the impact of the pandemic compared to last spring, and public health experts have confirmed our measures remain sufficient to deal with the new strain of the virus’.