![The new coronavirus screening station at the entrance of the Justice Center. [Matthew Richmond / ideastream]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0a85312/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x1687+0+0/resize/840x472!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F5%2F26%2Fjusticecenter_web3.jpg)
When courts in the Justice Center begin reopening to the public June 1, Northeast Ohioans will find a very different courthouse from the one that closed its doors a few months ago.
According to an order issued by Administrative Judge Brendan Sheehan, visitors will be required to wear masks and be screened for COVID-19 symptoms.
The elevators will be restricted to two people at a time. Each courtroom and floor of the building will have a maximum occupancy and social distancing markers have been placed on floors throughout the building. Court employees will control how many people access each floor.
In an attempt to limit the number of people coming into the building, courtrooms will operate at assigned days and times. Each court will have one day of the week, so only one room on each floor is operating at a time.
With six elevators that go all the way to the top – the 23 rd floor – and only two people allowed on an elevator at a time, rooms on higher floors will stagger their session times.
Cuyahoga County has elected not to install plexiglass barriers within their courtrooms, unlike Franklin County. Instead, social distancing and masks will be required inside Justice Center courtrooms.
The court will continue to conduct as much business as possible by video conference. Bench trials are delayed until the end of June; jury trials will not resume until the end of July.
