COVID era to alter Kane County courtrooms, hallways
When the stay-at-home order eventually is lifted, people going to the Kane County Judicial Center in St. Charles will notice changes in the hallways, starting with bench spaces marked six feet apart for social distancing.
The number of people in a courtroom will be limited, and attorneys will be required to wear masks in hallways, although judges in individual courtrooms will have discretion over whether people can remove masks if there's enough room.
“They're going to have people in the hallway to make sure people aren't sitting too close together,” State's Attorney Joe McMahon said. “We've hired additional cleaning companies to literally wipe down the benches, the door handles, and the elevator buttons, and door frames throughout the day, not just the cleaning crew that comes at night. These are some of the steps we've taken to minimize the risk of spread (of COVID-19) and still have a court system that works for crime victims, defendants and all of us.”
For weeks, security guards have been asking court attendees if they've had any exposure to people who have tested positive for COVID-19. Guards also have been taking visitors' temperatures with a touchless thermometer before allowing entry into the Judicial Center.
Court officials have embraced technology to use Zoom videoconferencing to move some cases along and to allow interested parties access if they can't watch in person.
Courtrooms will have to practice social distancing, and officials are measuring to see if certain rooms will allow for more than 10 people.
McMahon and 16th Circuit Chief Judge Clint Hull agreed that even routine appearances could be close to the 10-person guideline when the defendant, judge, clerk, prosecutor, defense attorney, bailiff, victim and security guard are all taken into account.
“In the courtroom, it's going to be up to the individual judge,” Hull said.
McMahon said he also has developed a face mask policy for prosecutors, who may wear a mask with a fabric pattern but no logos or messages.
“They can be a different color, but they cannot have any words or a message of any sort. Even if that message is depicted via an image or symbol — that's not allowed for my lawyers as they walk to and from court,” McMahon said. “Certainly, if they're in a courtroom, absolutely no words, no messages on a mask or anything like that.”