Wollongong lawyers have tentatively welcomed a raft of public safety measures set for immediate implementation in NSW local courts to reduce the risk of coronavirus spread.
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Chief Magistrate Judge Graeme Henson announced on Tuesday that no prisoners would be brought to courthouses across the state and would instead appear via video link from their respective jails in order to limit human-to-human contact in the wake of the pandemic.
For those due to face court but are not in custody, mentions and the entering of any pleas will be able to be done via email or post - by them or their lawyers - to further reduce physical numbers inside the courthouses.
Meanwhile, most local court sentencing matters will likely be put off until at least June and no prosecutions of traffic matters will take place for three months from July.
Judge Henson said the entire month of October had been set aside to deal with the backlog of work expected as a result of the reduced sittings.
The move comes a day after Illawarra lawyers raised concerns about their health in attending local court proceedings.
Wollongong criminal solicitor Matt Ward, from Morrisons Law Group, said officials were in the "extremely difficult position" of balancing public safety with the need for the timely delivery of justice, especially for those locked up on remand, but believed the new measures were a step in the right direction.
"In my view these are appropriate measures to try and limit the possibility of contamination as much as possible," he said.
"In some circumstances, this may create further delay for certain proceedings.
"However, from my perspective the Local Court is doing everything it can to try and keep matters moving.
"The response to this virus from a court and legal perspective may change day-by-day, week-by-week.
"It will continue to be a fine balancing act between the health of the community and access to justice."
Mr Ward described the current situation as "unchartered waters" and said lawyers would need to work with the court to make sure the measures are effective in preventing a build-up of people inside courthouses.
Fellow criminal solicitor Patrick Schmidt told the Mercury the court's plan seemed an appropriate one.
"It appears to be a well thought out practical solution which covers most bases - there will be some problematic issues such as hearings with numerous witnesses but that can not be avoided," he said.
"There also seems to be a contingency plan in relation to the back-log."
However, Mr Schmidt, who leads the criminal law team at Kells Lawyers, said he feared the changes would increase the workload for court staff.
"It will be a massive task to review the emails, outcome the results and then inform all the parties," he said.
Meanwhile, NSW Corrective Services has banned all social visits at the state's jails until at least Sunday for the safety of staff and inmates.
They will also implement additional health screenings for other visitors.
The full list of measures can be found here
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