Court orderlies, cleaners and security officers working at the East London magistrate’s court will be tested for Covid-19.
This comes after magistrates at the court came into contact with a correctional service official who tested positive for the virus last Wednesday.
The official had a meeting with the magistrates at the court premises the previous Monday.
Justice and correctional service spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said testing for security staff and cleaners was scheduled for April 28.
Court orderlies have been vocal about their safety concerns, saying they shared courts with the magistrates and prosecutors who are now in isolation.
“They [court orderlies] will be advise of a date [to test],” Phiri said.
“There are three courts in operation in East London. They are the first appearances court, bail court and trial court (doing postponements in absentia).
“Magistrates in these courts are prioritised in terms of the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE).
“Despite this, we confirm that the department had procured masks, albeit with experiencing shortages in stock.
“According to the acting chief magistrate, none of the magistrates requested or demanded a mask,” he said.
The sanitisation of courts has been an ongoing activity, Phiri added.
“We can confirm that a correctional services official who tested positive for Covid-19 has identified the East London magistrate’s court as a contact point after attending a meeting at the court. All of the participants have been since self-isolated.
“A doctor from the department of health, Dr Nozipho Jaxa, is available to test and she has advised all first-contact individuals.
“Following the advice, most decided to delay the testing. They also opted to be tested privately.
“With regard to prosecutors, most prosecutors opted to be tested by the department of health and to delay the testing except for a few who wanted earlier testing and that was done yesterday [Tuesday] by the department of health.
“Workers are working on a roster with limited numbers coming to work at a time,” he said.
Covid-19 testing for EL court staff to go ahead
Image: GALLO IMAGES/ AFP/ BERND THISSEN
Court orderlies, cleaners and security officers working at the East London magistrate’s court will be tested for Covid-19.
This comes after magistrates at the court came into contact with a correctional service official who tested positive for the virus last Wednesday.
The official had a meeting with the magistrates at the court premises the previous Monday.
Justice and correctional service spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said testing for security staff and cleaners was scheduled for April 28.
Court orderlies have been vocal about their safety concerns, saying they shared courts with the magistrates and prosecutors who are now in isolation.
“They [court orderlies] will be advise of a date [to test],” Phiri said.
“There are three courts in operation in East London. They are the first appearances court, bail court and trial court (doing postponements in absentia).
“Magistrates in these courts are prioritised in terms of the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE).
“Despite this, we confirm that the department had procured masks, albeit with experiencing shortages in stock.
“According to the acting chief magistrate, none of the magistrates requested or demanded a mask,” he said.
The sanitisation of courts has been an ongoing activity, Phiri added.
“We can confirm that a correctional services official who tested positive for Covid-19 has identified the East London magistrate’s court as a contact point after attending a meeting at the court. All of the participants have been since self-isolated.
“A doctor from the department of health, Dr Nozipho Jaxa, is available to test and she has advised all first-contact individuals.
“Following the advice, most decided to delay the testing. They also opted to be tested privately.
“With regard to prosecutors, most prosecutors opted to be tested by the department of health and to delay the testing except for a few who wanted earlier testing and that was done yesterday [Tuesday] by the department of health.
“Workers are working on a roster with limited numbers coming to work at a time,” he said.
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