The exterior of Bartholomew County Courthouse in Columbus, Ind., pictured, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016. Mike Wolanin | The Republic
Bartholomew County’s judges issued an emergency order Friday canceling all jury trials in the courthouse through Friday, Jan. 21.
“The omicron variant (of COVID-19) has spread pretty quickly,” Bartholomew Superior Court Judge James Worton said. “Bartholomew County is in the red right now, and our hospital is trying to handle a large amount of admissions.” The “red” designation is given by the state as an indicator of the highest number of COVID-19 infections and spread.
Thursday was the highest single-day total of positive COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic in early 2020, the emergency order states. At Columbus Regional Hospital, the staff and resources have been overwhelmed, Worton said.
The emergency order issued late Friday morning was signed by Worton, Circuit Court Judge Kelly Benjamin and Superior Court 2 Judge Jon Rohde.
“Jury trials require large gatherings of people in the courthouse for an extended period of time,” said Worton, who added current conditions present a legitimate concern regarding the health and welfare of both the citizens of Bartholomew County, as well as the courthouse staff.
“We are still practicing guidelines developed by the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) for other types of hearings,” Worton said. “As of now, those hearings are continuing, although we are implementing precautions whenever we can.”
Precautions put into effect over the past two years include multi-person video conferencing, as well as allowing employees to work from home when feasible.
