Newby extends COVID-19 court directives into April

North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Newby has extended emergency directives in response to the COVID-19 pandemic for another month, the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts said.

“The dangers posed by COVID-19 remain serious, and Chief Justice Newby’s order encourages local judicial officials to adopt appropriate safety precautions, in addition to those mandated by the order,” the AOC said in a statement.

The emergency directives contained in the order are effective March 15 and expire on April 11.

“Catastrophic conditions resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak have existed and continue to exist in all counties of this state,” Newby says in a March 12 order.

To that end, protocols will remain in place. Among them: People who have likely been exposed should not enter the courthouse, remote hearings will continue, filing deadlines are extended for mailed filings, and face masks remain required to enter court facilities.

The full order is available at here.