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District court sessions in Kerry have been postponed and members of the legal and garda professions may be asked to restrict movements or isolate themselves after a Garda who was in court in Tralee found he had tested positive by coronavirus.
The discovery shortly before lunch on Wednesday led to the immediate closure of the weekly district court in Tralee and the postponement of several cases.
The garda learned during a short interval shortly before lunch that he had tested positive for the virus and immediately informed the practitioners and left the building.
Judge David Waters ordered the immediate adjournment of the weekly session of the Tralee District Court on Ashe Street, Tralee.
Attorney Padraig O’Connell, who was one of the attorneys involved in the case in which the garda was also involved, said the whole situation was “extremely puzzling.”
“We do not know when the court will meet again,” said the lawyer.
There were fewer than 15 people, the maximum number allowed under social distancing restrictions, in the courtroom at the time. They included the court clerk, the judge, and various lawyers and gardaí.
Protocols
A spokesperson for the Courts Service said protocols were being implemented, including those such as contact tracing led by the HSE. In addition, the Courts Service itself had risk response teams for courts throughout the country.
An Garda Síochána said it would not provide comment on the individual status of any member of the force or individual Garda sections or stations.
There is currently no impact on Garda services, he added.
Earlier this week, it emerged that most of the 28 members of Kerry’s trafficking division were restricting their movements after attending a training course in which a member of another division tested positive for the virus.
Kerry’s courts have already been badly affected by the disease. There are currently no trials in Kerry due to a lack of jury facilities and a considerable backlog of cases has accumulated.
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