The Schuylkill County Court of Common Pleas plans to resume some jury trials while taking measures to protect jurors from coronavirus.

President Judge William Baldwin recently announced that the court plans to schedule 10 trials during the month of June. However the proceedings will look unique because of steps taken to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

“We’re going to try to start bringing some of these cases to trial during the month of June. But we’ve taken precautions and developed some plans of how to do it, which we think would help keep everybody as safe as possible,” Baldwin said.

Trials have been on hold since March, when courthouses across the state closed to visitors to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

However there are cases involving serious charges, or cases which have been pending a long time, which need to come to trial, Baldwin said.

In order to hold trials in June, the court plans to use its largest courtrooms with the jurors sitting in the area normally reserved for the audience in order to observe social distancing. Instead of leaving the courtroom to deliberate, jurors would stay and the lawyers and court staff would return to their offices.

The trials are expected to take one to two days each. The county would serve lunch so jurors can limit contact with others and prevent the spread of the virus.

Everyone involved with the trial would be required to wear protective masks and have their temperature taken at the courthouse daily. Those requirements are already in place at the courthouse. Baldwin and the county commissioners have also directed all courthouse employees to remain in their offices to avoid congregating in hallways.

“We want to put them at ease, that we’re doing everything we can to protect them,” Baldwin said.

Masks would be required for all participants with one exception. Witnesses would be required to remove their mask to testify.

“You’d have to be able to see the witness’s face as you’re testifying. That would be the only time anyone would not have a mask on,” Baldwin said.

Jury selection days have been scheduled for June 4, 5, 9, 11 and 12. They will take place in courtroom 1, which holds 170 people. Each day two juries will be selected: one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

The court plans to bring in just enough jurors for one case to be picked during each session.

The jurors will be selected from a panel which was summoned in April before being put on hold due to coronavirus. Potential jurors will be notified by mail.

They hope to hold more trials in July and August as well.

Schuylkill County Courthouse remains closed to visitors to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

In the meantime, the court has used video conferencing technology for some court appearances. If the hearing involves a prisoner at Schuylkill County Jail, they use computers at the jail.

For other appearances, defendants have been using their own devices to video conference with the judge.

But trials can’t be held remotely. And with speculation about a possible return of the virus in the fall, Baldwin said it’s important for the court to begin scheduling trials during the summer months.

“We need to start trying some of these cases as soon as we can but we want to protect the jurors, the witnesses, the lawyers, the court staff, everybody in light of the virus situation,” he said.