Jury trials delayed after downtown Jackson County employee tests positive for COVID
A court employee at the Jackson County Courthouse in downtown Kansas City has tested positive for COVID-19, delaying the resumption of jury trials, according to a news release.
The Jackson County Circuit Court announced Friday that the jury trials which were to resume on Oct. 5 have been postponed and that the downtown courthouse has moved back to Phase 1 under the Missouri Supreme Court Operational directives.
The employee who tested positive for the conronavirus didn’t work in a public area and no one else was directly exposed to the virus, said Valerie Hartman, public information officer for the court.
Under the Phase 1, the number of people gathered in a courtroom or other areas of the courthouse is limited to 10 people. Courts are required to stay at each operational phase for a minimum of two weeks before moving into the next phase.
The delay doesn’t affect operations at the Eastern Jackson County Courthouse in Independence, which started summoning jurors this week. That courthouse is operating under Phase 3 and jury trials will continue as scheduled.
During the pandemic, the court and courthouses haven’t closed, but operations have been modified to address health concerns.
This story was originally published September 25, 2020 at 2:59 PM.
