LAHORE: The Lahore High Court has directed heads of the district judiciary of Punjab to strictly implement the Covid-19 related standard operating procedures (SOPs) to curtail spread of the virus amid the third wave of the pandemic.

In a directive issued by the LHC here on Tuesday, all district & sessions judges in the province have been directed to hold meetings with the representatives of the bar associations concernedto seek their cooperation in implementation of the SOPs.

As per the SOPs, the presiding officers, officials, lawyers and litigant parties appearing in the courts must wear face masks and gloves.

The persons, including the lawyers, whose cases have not been fixed for the day, should avoid visiting the court premises in order to curb spread of the coronavirus. Only those litigants or parties are allowed to enter the courtrooms who have specifically been required or directed by the court to attend the hearing in person.

Similarly, only those lawyers, who have to appear in a case for arguments, or attend a particular case, shall enter the courtrooms and may associate one junior that too in case of dire need.

The personnel of police deployed at the main entrances, parking areas, main building entrances, courtroom premises, must wear face masks during the working hours and should not shake hands with anyone.

As per the SOPs, the court employees whose immediate family members have been infected are required to inform the authority for taking appropriate precautionary measures.

All sorts of official and non-official meetings, inaugurations and ceremonies have been banned temporarily, except meetings of the Criminal Justice Coordination Committee and monthly meetings of judicial officers, which may be preferred on webinar.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2021