COVID-19: Obey Health Protocols – NJC Tells Courts
BY VICTOR OSOWOCHI, ABUJA – The National Judicial Council (NJC) has ordered all courts to respect health protocols and precautionary measures aimed at curbing the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country.
The directive is contained in a document titled: ‘The National Judicial Council Guidelines for Court Sittings and Related Matters in the COVID-19 period.”
A statement by the NJC Director of information, Mr Soji Oye, said the guidelines were issued by the Council’s Special Committee headed by Justice Olabode Rhodes-Vivour.
The directive is contained in a document titled: ‘The National Judicial Council Guidelines for Court Sittings and Related Matters in the COVID-19 period.”
Oye said the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Tanko Muhammad, in a corresponding circular with Reference Number NJC/CIR/HOC/II/660, has directed all heads of Federal and State courts to abide by the guidelines in formulating their rules and directives during this emergency period.
According to Oye’s statement; “Heads of court shall have primary responsibility of ensuring compliance of judicial officers over whom they superintend with the provisions of this guideline.
“Heads of courts shall liaise with relevant security agencies to ensure that the entrances to court premises are well manned by security personnel and entry into the premises are regulated in a manner that guarantees and enforces the minimum two-meter (six feet) distance between persons as it relates to all entrants into the premises.
“The courts shall ensure that all security personnel who work in the court premises and in particular the security personnel who man the entrance(s) to the court premises are well informed on COVID-19 including in particular, the methods of its spread, its basic symptoms, how to prevent its spread, etc”.
Similarly, the guidelines said Heads of courts should ensure all security personnel, including those attached to judicial officers and courtrooms, are well-kitted and supplied with disposable gloves, facemasks and hand sanitisers.
On admission of persons into the court premises during sittings, the guidelines indicated that “Security personnel at the entrance of the court premises shall be equipped with temperature monitors for testing and determining the temperature of each visitor to the court premises.
”They should be trained in the use of the temperature monitors, and visitors must be shown their temperature readings on the monitors before their admission into the court premises.”
Additionally, the guidelines listed that; “Every person wishing to go into the court premises, without exception, shall be subjected to the temperature monitor reading for the determination of his or her body temperature.”
However, the guidelines stated that anyone, who refuses to submit himself or herself for the reading of temperature, should be politely refused entry into the court premises and advised to leave the entrance immediately.
Also contained in the guidelines are that; “Heads of courts should procure advice of health experts on the temperature levels that warrant concern and be indicative of a person with fever (‘high temperature threshold);
“The security personnel at the court entrance(s) must be trained in that regard; and
“Any visitor to the court premises, who has a high temperature, based on the temperature monitor reading at the entrance to the court or who is coughing while going through the entry protocols, should be politely advised to seek immediate medical assistance and refused entry into the court premises.
On the use of face masks, the guidelines stated that Security personnel shall further ensure that “only persons with facemasks are allowed entry into the court premises, without exception.”
