Non-urgent court cases suspended until April 11

The Chief Justice has instructed all magistrates and judges to postpone sittings in non-urgent cases until after April 11 due to rising numbers of COVID-19 cases.

In his directive, Chief Justice Mark Chetcuti said the court must help stop the spread and protect not only court workers but also those who must attend court.

The courts will remain open, however.

Reacting to the directive, the Chamber of Advocates said it had taken note of it and urged its members to cooperate and request postponements of any non-urgent sittings. 

There have been many concerns about the implementation of anti-COVID measures in court, raised by the public, lawyers and court workers. Just two days ago, a union representing administrative staff at the law courts threatened industrial action unless vaccines were made available to its members.

On Thursday, the government instructed all restaurants to shut down until April 11 and introduced a number of measures to try to contain the soaring numbers of COVID-19 cases.