REGINA – Saskatchewan’s Court of Queen’s Bench has already reintroduced restrictions after lifting all COVID-19 pandemic measures last week.
Due to the worsening spread of COVID-19 in the province, effective Sept. 15 the court brought back some measures.
“The court is mindful of its responsibility, as an essential service, to continue to operate while simultaneously ensuring that appropriate safeguards are put in place to protect those who work within, and interact with, the court,” said Saskatchewan Chief Justice Martel D. Popescul in a statement Wednesday.
The court has now reverted to hearing all civil and family chamber matters by telephone.
On Sept. 7 Court of Queen’s Bench appearances had gone back to in-person hearings except for child protection matters, which continued to proceed by telephone. The court had also removed physical distancing and masking requirements. Those requirements, however, are back in effective Sept. 15.
The protocols to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic were initially put into place March 15, 2020.
In November 2020 jury trials were stopped due to issues with social distancing, which affected 19 jury trials in the province. The court started holding jury trials offsite in September 2021 to ensure sufficient space to maintain social distancing for those participating in the trial process.
Non-jury trials continued to be held in court throughout the pandemic but many were delayed.
