The Surabaya District Court in East Java will be closed for almost two weeks after a civil servant working at the court tested positive for COVID-19, while two others also died unexpectedly.
“Besides the civil servant who tested positive for COVID-19, a judge and a bailiff died unexpectedly,” court spokesman Martin Ginting said as reported by Kompas.com on Sunday.
The judge, Eko Agus Siswanto, died after experiencing seizures and respiratory failure on Friday, while the bailiff, Surachmad, died a day earlier. However, the exact causes of both deaths remain unknown.
Ginting said the Surabaya District Court would be temporarily closed from June 15 to June 26. The closure was stipulated in a court decree.
“This decision was made to break the chain of COVID-19 transmission that has entered the circle of civil servants at the Surabaya District Court,” said Ginting.
Even so, he said, the court would proceed with several criminal trials that could not be delayed as the detention period of the defendants would end soon.
The court will ensure the trials are held under strict health protocols.
“No visitors are allowed to enter the court and we will also limit media coverage to only a few journalists,” he added.
Despite the closure, some services will still be available, including the online civil case registration system. (syk)
