By Minka Klaudia Tiangco All Regional Trial Court (RTC) and Metropolitan Trial Court (MTC) branches, and the Office of the Clerk of Court in the Manila City Hall, old Ombudsman building, and Parkview Plaza building have been placed under lockdown. In a memorandum issued Thursday (June 18), Manila RTC Executive Judge Virgilio Macaraig said RTC branches and the Office of the Clerk of Court at the Manila City Hall will be under lockdown from Thursday, June 18 until Tuesday, June 30. Manila MTC Executive Judge Carissa Anne Manook-Frondozo also ordered that all MTC branches and the Office of the Clerk of Court at the Parkview Plaza building will be under lockdown from Friday, June 19 to Monday, June 29. Earlier, she placed all RTC and MTC branches and the Office of the Clerk of Court at the old Ombudsman building under lockdown from Monday, June 15 to Monday, June 29. In his memorandum, Macaraig said two court employees were exposed to their relatives who tested positive for coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Meanwhile, Manook-Frondozo said a security guard at Parkview Plaza Building, who had been suffering from a severe cough, tested positive for the disease in a rapid test and has been swabbed for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing. All judges and court employees of the affected courts were also told to undergo self-quarantine during the lockdown period. They were also told to conduct contact tracing of the persons they have encountered over the last two weeks. Work will continue via digital platforms. Courts may conduct teleconference hearings and accept pleadings filed electronically during the lockdown period. All office hotlines and emails will still be strictly monitored to address urgent concerns, the executive judges said. The Manila city government will be conducting disinfection and sanitation operations in the affected buildings.