THE old Ombudsman building in Manila that houses the regional trial courts and the metropolitan trial courts was closed Monday for disinfection and will reopen in 14 days.
A memorandum issued by Executive Judge Carissa Anne Manook-Frondozo did not state the reason for the closure until June 19 but Supreme Court spokesman Brian Keith Hosaka said a prosecutor from Mandaluyong City who has tested positive for COVID-19 visited the building recently.
In her directive, Manook-Frondozo said no one will be allowed entry at the premises of the building that also houses the Office of the Clerk of Court. It also directed all employees of the branches affected to undergo mandatory 14-day quarantine and to avoid contact with the public during this period.
Contact tracing is also being done, the executive judge said.
While the closure is in effect, the courts may conduct videoconferencing hearings and accept pleadings filed electronically.
“As always, office hotlines and electronic mails must be strictly monitored by all branches to answer immediate concerns and answer urgent queries,” Manook-Frondozo said.
Mandaluyong Executive Judge Ofelia Calo has also issued a similar lockdown order for the Mandaluyong City Hall of Justice.
Calo ordered the lockdown after the courts had in-court hearings attended by the public prosecutors since June 1 when the government eased the quarantine restrictions in Metro Manila.
The Mandaluyong prosecutor who tested positive for the virus is related to a court officer holding office at the Old Ombudsman Building in Manila.