Jury trials in New Zealand have now been suspended for the next two months in the wake of measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus Covid-19.
The announcement was made in a statement by Chief Justice Dame Helen Winkelmann this evening.
The Chief Justice said the judiciary believed it was necessary to take this step out of an abundance of caution.
“There is a special onus on the courts to protect the health of jurors who are performing an important civic duty," she said.
"The process of empanelling juries often involves bringing large numbers of people together in relatively confined spaces. Once empanelled jurors are inevitably spending significant periods of time in relatively close contact.”
The decision does not affect jury trials already in progress.
There are also risks to trials proceeding in the event a juror or other court participant becomes unwell and must be sent home. In the current environment where anyone feeling unwell is being told to stay away from court, this problem will become more pronounced for jury trials, the statement said.
Those affected would be contacted by the registry of the relevant court.
It comes as the New Zealand Parole Board announced today that all hearings will be held by video ink from tomorrow due to the Covid-19 situation.
The New Zealand Parole Board chairperson, Sir Ron Young, has directed the temporary change to keep all participants in the parole process safe.
“Partly this is about limiting the travel required of the board’s members and administrative staff. But it is also a proactive, preventative step to support the Department of Corrections to keep coronavirus out of prisons,” said Sir Ron.
Video links will also be used for victim meetings with the Board until further notice. These meetings are usually held away from prisons, in a nearby town or city.
Any registered victim booked to meet with the Board in the coming weeks will be contacted about the change of location.
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