The Supreme Court (SC) ordered the suspension of work starting Thursday, March 11, to allow the disinfection, cleaning, and sanitation of its buildings and offices on Padre Faura Street in Ermita, Manila until Sunday, March 14.

Chief Justice Diosdado M. Peralta said starting Monday, March 15, only 50 per cent of the SC’s total workforce will be allowed to report back to work “to maintain physical distancing of six feet.”

Oral arguments on 37 cases against the constitutionality of the Anti-Terrorism Act had been postponed twice by the SC when some justices underwent and are still undergoing self-quarantine as precaution against the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The Feb. 16 oral arguments were postponed to March 2 when one of the justices contracted COVID-19 but was later found negative of the virus.

The arguments set last March 9 was postponed to March 16 for the same reason -- another justice is COVID-19 positive.

It was not known immediately the results of the subsequent tests.

Peralta said that during the disinfection, cleaning and sanitizing work at the SC, previously scheduled committee meetings may proceed “depending upon the discretion of the chairperson or head of the committee.”

“Urgent matters should be attended to by the concerned chiefs or heads of offices, who are expected to be reached at any time of the day,” he said.

Also, “on-duty personnel of the medical and dental service (skeleton force), security and maintenance divisions, office of the administrative services are authorized to report for work on March 11 to 14, 2021,” he added.

Since the start of COVID-19 in March last year, the SC has adopted measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

It ordered the maintenance of skeletal force in offices, adopted a four-day workweek, allowed the filing online of pleadings and documents before the courts, and authorized the use of video conferencing to speed up resolution of cases.