The union of judges considers that there are courts that do not fulfill the necessary conditions for the resumption of face-to-face trials next week, in the covid-19 pandemic phase, and today presented three problematic issues to the Minister of Justice.
According to the president of the Union Association of Portuguese Judges (ASJP), the concerns of magistrates regarding the required cleaning of spaces, the absence of protective barriers in the courtrooms and the lack of windows or air were presented at the meeting with Minister Francisca Van Dunem. conditioned in rooms in many of the country’s 300 courts.
In relation to the cleaning of spaces, Manuel Soares told Lusa that usually the commitments with companies provide for cleaning in the morning or in the afternoon of the places, but “the Government said it would extend these contracts” or arrange hours bags or pickets to “increase the availability to clean the different spaces of the courts ”, as foreseen in the plan of measures to reduce the risk of transmission of the coronavirus.
According to the Government’s plan, the cleaning and hygiene of spaces and equipment should be intensified, namely in waiting areas, counters, diligence and audience rooms, service spaces and bathrooms.
Another situation that concerns the ASJP, at this time of resumption of face-to-face trials, is related to the lack of acrylic protections in the courtrooms that would allow the required social distance to be fulfilled.
Manuel Soares defends the placement of acrylic barriers, given that “it would allow an increase in the number of people per room”, instead of the option of fulfilling social distance by having people to wear masks and visors.
The measures defined for the courts provide for a distance of “not less than two meters” for all citizens, magistrates and officials and the waiting and courtrooms should contain only one third of their normal capacity.
As this issue is not foreseen in the measures defined for the courts, the president of the association said that the members of the Government “did not totally exclude it” and that they will make a survey of the spaces in which this may be possible to do and that is more appropriate .
In relation to the smaller audience rooms, in which the social distance of 1.5 to two meters is difficult to comply with, judgments should be carried out in alternative spaces outside the courts.
“What was transmitted to the association was that the Ministry will carry out a survey to see which rooms have conditions for the distance to be fulfilled and in the smaller ones where this is not possible the Government will try to find alternative spaces and try to make protocols with city councils and universities ”, he said.
Regarding the fact that many courtrooms are interior and do not have air conditioning, when the Directorate-General for Health recommends airing the spaces, the minister said that these places are being identified and that “alternative spaces to the courts” will be found. , a task for the presiding judges of the counties and for the management bodies of the courts.
However, ASJP hired a job security company to verify that the courts are able to meet the requirements required in this pandemic phase of covid-19, before resuming face-to-face proceedings in the courts.
The minister transmitted to the ASJP elements that the diploma on the resumption of the courts’ activity during the pandemic should be published “today or tomorrow” and that next week all the processes will be processed, with tendency in person.
As for the possibility of a change in the judicial vacation since this year, due to the contingencies of the pandemic that caused delays in the judicial proceedings, the minister reiterated that “there is no Government proposal in this regard”, according to Manuel Soares.
Portugal accounts for 1,247 deaths associated with covid-19 in 29,432 confirmed cases of infection, according to the latest daily bulletin from the Directorate-General for Health (DGS) on the pandemic.
Portugal entered on May 3 in a calamity situation due to the pandemic, after three consecutive periods in a state of emergency since March 19.
This new phase of combating covid-19 provides for mandatory confinement for sick people and under active surveillance, the general duty of home collection and the mandatory use of masks or visors in public transport, public attendance services, schools and commercial establishments.
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