By Rey Panaligan
A Supreme Court (SC) employee has tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
SC’s public information office (PIO) chief Atty. Brian Keith F. Hosaka confirmed that the employee is working at the office of Associate Justice Amy C. Lazaro Javier.
When asked about the SC employee who is infected with COVID-19, Hosaka said:
“Yes, this is confirmed. We immediately informed and got in touch with all court personnel who may have had contact with the said staff of Justice Amy Lazaro-Javier. So far, they are all OK and in good health.”
Chief Justice Diosdado M. Peralta had earlier tested negative for COVID-19 after travelling to the Netherlands early this month and later showed symptoms of the disease.
The SC created a COVID-19 Task Force to monitor the spread of the disease that may affect court officials and employees nationwide. It is headed by Court Administrator Jose Midas P. Marquez.
All courts in the country – from the SC to the lower trial courts – are on physical shutdown because of the rising incidents of contamination and deaths due to COVID-19.
Justices, judges, and court personnel will only go to their offices if there are urgent matters to be taken up like petitions to post bail and incidents related to the enhanced community quarantine being implemented by the government.