Court entry conditions during COVID-19 including new arrangements for the Downing Centre

10/06/2020

The Department of Communities and Justice has written to the New South Wales Bar Association regarding court entry conditions during COVID-19.

The Department's correspondence sets out a number of measures which have been implemented and apply to entry into NSW courts:

• temperature testing upon entering court premises

• staggered returns of face-to-face proceedings

• continued availability of virtual courtroom environments

• certain applications to the Court continue to be available via email or in writing mitigating the need for a physical attendance

• additional cleaning regimes particularly in 'high traffic' areas

• hand sanitisers in public areas and within courtrooms

• floor decals and notices providing reminders of physical distancing

• triaging of matters to reduce the number of people required to come into the court premises

• Protocols for jury trials to recommence for selected jurors and practitioners.

These measures generally reflect the content of the recent Court Operations Protocols published by the Supreme Court's updated Protocol - Court Operations - COVID-19, the District Court's Jury Trials COVID-19 General Protocol, and the New South Wales Bar Association's Protocol for In-Person Hearings while Social Distancing.

The Department has also provided some details of the work being carried out at the Downing Centre intended to provide a safer, more efficient procedure to enter through the security screening area.

The Department has advised that:

• an additional lane specifically dedicated to legal practitioners and staff is currently being installed to reduce the waiting time to move through the screening process; and

• practitioners will be able to bring their own plastic bag for all metallic items to place onto the roller beds, which provides a non-contact process of personal items and avoids the need to place items into the trays provided.

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