Manila RTC judges, court personnel to go under quarantine until June 30

THE executive judge of the Regional Trial Court of Manila City on Thursday ordered all its judges and court personnel to undergo selfquarantine until June 30 after learning that two court employees were in contact with relatives who tested positive for Covid-19.

In a memorandum issued on Thursday, Executive Judge Virgilio Macaraig said the order has the approval of Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez and Assistant Court Administrator Maria Regina Adoracion Filomena Ignacio.

Macaraig also advised the judges and court employees to avoid contact with the public and to conduct tracing of all persons they may have in contact with at the court premises for the last two weeks.

“Should any person develop symptoms, please report your condition to [your] respective barangay health worker[s] and report to the undersigned as soon as possible,” Judge Macaraig said.

He added that affected courts may still conduct hearings through videoconferencing from home and accept pleadings, motions filed electronically during the period of self-quarantine pursuant to circulars issued by the Supreme Court.

Judge Macaraig said the Manila City government has been requested to conduct disinfection and sanitation of the court premises located at the Manila City Hall.

This developed as the Department of Justice has sought the assistance of the Department of Health (DOH) in contact tracing of individuals who may have interacted with their five employees who were confirmed positive for Covid-19.

“We have enlisted the help of the DOH in contact tracing .... With this in mind, contact tracing is being conducted in close coordination with the DOH following established health protocols,” DOJ Undersecretary and spokesman Markk Perete said.

Of the five persons who tested positive in the confirmatory swab test for Covid-19, three of them were employees assigned at the main office, one employee assigned to a field office and one outsourced security guard.

“We leave it to the DOH to determine the parameters of the contact tracing now being conducted. I understand, though, that all persons that have had [previous] interaction with those who turn positive are being traced to determine possible exposure,” Perete added.

Perete noted that since the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ ), they have implemented measures aimed at preventing the spread of the virus by providing sleeping quarters for their frontliners, such as security guards and maintenance personnel.

“Those who worked at the DOJ frontlines, outsourced personnel such as security guards and janitors, were either housed within the DOJ compound, or fetched by the DOJ shuttle,” he said.

DOJ Secretary Menardo Guevarra has placed the DOJ main headquarters in Padre Faura Street, Manila City under lockdown from June 18 to until June 28, a Sunday, to give way to the disinfection of their offices.

But Guevarra assured they would continue to operate since the employees could work from home, while documents submitted would be received at the frontlines.