Florida courts 'watch and prepare' for COVID-19

Florida’s courts are preparing for the new coronavirus, COVID-19, with proven procedures and basic preventive advice.

Its work so far relies on recent updates of long-standing plans and procedures to protect employees and stakeholders, contain the spread of infectious diseases of all kinds, and ensure ongoing access to justice.

Chief Justice Charles Canady 

“Watch and prepare. Those are the best words of advice I can give all of you as we follow developments about this novel virus,” said Florida Chief Justice Charles T. Canady. “There currently are no Florida cases. There certainly is no cause for undue alarm. But we know there is a potential for this disease to affect the courts and our entire legal system in the weeks ahead. So, I urge everyone to update their office and personal emergency plans and listen carefully as public health agencies tell us what to expect.”

The Court Emergency Management Group (CEMG) has met to discuss COVID-19. Jurisdictions throughout the State Courts System have been reminded to review plans and inform employees of strategies for reducing transmission of all infectious diseases. A statewide call of jurisdictions throughout the state is scheduled for Friday with emergency preparedness and human resources staff.

Pandemic preparation and readiness are a central part of strategic planning and the branch’s continuity of operations plan, or COOP. Both contemplate the possibility of pandemics and have been previously implemented effectively when other diseases have prompted national and global concern.

Resources and tips from the National Center for State Courts and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been provided to employees and put into practice. 

A bench guide for judges, providing guidance on best practices for conducting court business and protecting people when infectious diseases are a concern, was updated in 2019 by judges and staff. It notes the judicial branch has opened lines of communication with executive branch agencies, as well as with local and statewide emergency management and first responder agencies, to expedite responses to threats and emergencies as well as to foster coordination of resources.

These plans date to Florida’s courts response in the aftermath of 9/11. The State Courts System has been nationally recognized as a model of teamwork and intergovernmental collaboration. Its focus is ultimately on maintaining the mission of the courts.

“At the most fundamental level, court access is a reality only when the courthouse doors are open and the courts are operational,” according to the preface of the updated bench guide for judges. “If a court has to be shut down in response to a disaster of any sort—whether nature-inflicted or human-generated—then court access, and thus justice, is denied.”

Ongoing communication, inside and outside the courts, and appropriate implementation of proven steps to diminish risk and in support of court operations will be the hallmark of the branch’s actions in the days and weeks ahead.

A message on Wednesday to staff at the Supreme Court and the Office of the State Courts Administrator repeated the themes of watchful attention and common-sense precautions Chief Justice Canady expressed.

“The CEMG believes there is no cause for serious alarm at the present time. Similar outbreaks like SARS in 2002-2003 spread to several nations but were largely contained. It is not known at the present time whether the same will happen with this new virus. … Until we know more, we must prepare and remain watchful.”