Courts and tribunals: living with COVID-19
Guidance to help court and tribunal users reduce the risk of catching an infectious disease like COVID-19 and passing it on to others.
Applies to England, Scotland and Wales
Following new guidance on living with respiratory infections including COVID-19, we relaxed many of the safety measures put in place during the pandemic in England, Wales and Scotland.
Coming to a court or tribunal
Our courts and tribunals in England, Scotland and Wales meet required safety standards and are open for hearings. You should attend your hearing as planned.
If you have a high temperature or do not feel well enough to attend a hearing, contact the court or tribunal immediately. We consider alternative arrangements and individual requests on a case by case basis.
If you’re at higher risk from COVID-19 and need to attend a hearing, contact the court or tribunal to let them know so we can keep you safe.
Jury service
If you’re a juror, you’re no longer required to wear a fluid resistant surgical mask in smaller rooms and you can eat and drink in those rooms.
If you’re coming to court as a juror, find out more about doing jury service.
Face coverings
Face coverings are no longer mandatory in any parts of our buildings. If you’re coming to a court or tribunal building, you can continue to wear a face covering if you want to.
Keep up to date
We update you on the operational running of our courts and tribunals through:
- advice on GOV.UK
- our weekly operational update
- our find a court or tribunal service
- our HMCTS Twitter channel
Judicial announcements and guidance
Find out what to expect when coming to a court or tribunal building from the judiciary.
Last updated 17 August 2022 + show all updates
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Guidance on custody suites removed.
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Updated following changes to guidance in Scotland and Wales.
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First published.