Durban Magistrate’s Court closed for decontamination after suspected Covid-19 case

The main building of the Durban Magistrate’s Court will be closed for sanitation following a possible Covid-19 case among the staff.

The court building will be closed on Monday and Tuesday for the sanitation to take place.

The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development has confirmed that the Department of Health is investigating, after a potential case was identified in a person working at the court.

The case was reported on Friday. All other court employees and judicial officers who came into contact with the person have been identified and have undergone testing.

They have also been requested to go into self-isolation.

“As a precautionary measure, the court building is undergoing a thorough decontamination and disinfection process and will be open again on Wednesday,” said Chrispin Phiri, spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services.

While the building is closed, pending criminal matters in the Regional and District Courts will be dealt with in Courts 21 and 22, which are situated in the Municipal Court on Somtseu Road.

New criminal matters will be attended to at the various surrounding police stations by magistrates, prosecutors, interpreters and clerks of the court.

“It is important to stress that urgent domestic violence matters and applications for protection orders will also be attended to at the Municipal Court on Monday and Tuesday, so the public can rest assured that these services will be available,” Phiri said.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.