By Jeffrey Damicog All prosecutors and staff of the Makati City Prosecutors' Office will have to work from home starting Thursday, June 11, due to possible exposure to the deadly 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). “Unless on trial day, all prosecutors are advised to work from home to avoid further contacts, so with the staff,” read the June 10 administrative order of Makati City Prosecutors Office Officer-In-Charge, Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Roberto Lao. “Oath duty, application for clearances, filing of pleadings and motions and regular filing of cases are suspended until further notice,” he added. Lao explained he issued the administrative order after a Makati prosecutor, who reported for work last week and on Tuesday, June 9, was found to have one immediate family member who tested positive with COVID-19. In the same order, Lao said “a skeletal workforce would man the administrative office.” Lao said that cases submitted for inquest shall be done electronically with proceedings held on Mondays until Fridays between 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. but with the last call on 3 p.m. to give the concerned prosecutor time to resolve the case. On-call inquest proceedings can also be made on Saturdays, Sundays and non-working holidays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with last call at noon. Those caught in the act of committing an offense can be arrested without warrant but will have to be immediately be charged during inquest proceedings before a prosecutor within 36 hours, depending on the offense.