A Manila Metropolitan Trial Court (MeTC) and the Office of the Clerk of Court was placed under a two-week lockdown starting Monday, July 13 after two employees tested positive for the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19).
In a memorandum issued Sunday, Executive Judge Carissa Anne Manook-Frondozo said Manila MeTC Branch 30 at the Manila City Hall will be under lockdown until Friday, July 24, and the Office of the Clerk of Court at the Parkview Plaza Building will be closed until Wednesday, July 22.
The court official said one employee from MeTC Branch 30 and another from the Office of the Clerk of Court were found to have contracted the disease after undergoing polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests in two separate medical facilities.
"Considering that the METC-OCC employee last reported for work on July 8, 2020, while the Branch 30 employee last reported for duty on July 10, 2020, and the employees of the said offices were directly exposed, pursuant to OCA Circular 101-2020, the undersigned executive judge deems it prudent to temporarily suspend operations at the two offices aforementioned, for the periods earlier stated," Manook-Frandozo said in her memorandum.
"The lockdown of these two offices is without prejudice to the possible lockdown of other branches whose employees are found to have likewise been directly exposed to the two COVID19 positive employees, after intensive contact-tracing has been concluded," she added.
The executive judge said all employees of the affected offices must undergo a 14-day quarantine and conduct contact tracing of all persons that they encountered over the last two weeks.
Work will continue via digital platforms. Manila MeTC Branch 30 may conduct teleconference hearings and accept pleadings filed electronically during the lockdown period. The Manila Office of the Clerk of Court may accept bail applications and queries about urgent matters through their hotline and email.
Earlier, Manook-Frandozo placed all MeTC branches and the Office of the Clerk of Court under lockdown from June 19 to June 29 after three employees were suspected to have contracted COVID-19.
Before this, she placed all Regional Trial Court (RTC) and MeTC branches and the Office of the Clerk of Court at the old Ombudsman building under lockdown from June 15 to June 29.