District Court sittings in Kerry have been postponed and members of the legal and garda professions may be asked to restrict movements or self-isolate after a garda who was in court in Tralee found out he had tested positive for coronavirus.
The discovery shortly before lunch on Wednesday led to the immediate closure of the weekly district court in Tralee and the adjournment of a number of cases.
The garda got word during a brief interval shortly before lunch he had tested positive for the virus and immediately informed practitioners and left the building.
Judge David Waters ordered the immediate adjournment of the weekly sitting of Tralee District Court on Ashe Street, Tralee.
Solicitor Padraig O’Connell, who was one of the solicitors involved in the case in which the garda was also involved, said the whole situation was “extremely disconcerting”.
“We don’t know when the court will be sitting again,” the solicitor said.
There were fewer than 15 people – the maximum number allowed under the social distancing restrictions – in the courtroom at the time. These included the court registrar, the judge and a number of solicitors and gardaí.
Protocols
A spokesperson for the Courts Service said protocols, including those such as contact tracing led by the HSE, were being implemented. As well as that, the Courts Service itself had risk response teams for courts around the country.
An Garda Síochána said it would not be providing commentary on the individual status of any members of the force or individual Garda stations or sections.
There was currently no impact on services of the Garda, it added.
Earlier this week it emerged that most of Kerry’s 28-member traffic division were restricting their movements after attending a training course in which a member from another division was positive for the virus.
Courts in Kerry have been severely impacted already by the disease. There are currently no trials in Kerry because of lack of facilities for juries and a considerable backlog of cases has built up.