Riverside Superior Court trials suspended through Jan. 28

Citing “an alarming increase” in COVID-19 cases, officials of the Riverside Superior Court system today announced that all criminal and civil trials not already in progress will be suspended through Jan. 28.

A court order signed today by presiding judge John Monterosso states that even with those trials in progress, in-person access to proceedings will be limited to the parties involved, their attorneys, witnesses and other authorized persons. Access to non-confidential court proceedings will be available through livestreaming.

Individuals attending ongoing court proceedings must maintaining physical distancing of at least six feet.

“Riverside County, already an area of high transmission, has recently experienced an alarming increase in COVID-19 cases,” the court order states. “The State of California COVID-19 dashboard for Riverside County shows that the current rate of positive COVID-19 cases has risen to 26.9 percent, which is a 12.7 percent increase from the previous seven-day period, and exceeds the state average of 20.4 percent. Additionally, hospitalizations have risen sharply, nearly doubling over the past week.

“In light of the ease of transmission of the Omicron variant, conducting jury trials would unduly endanger court personnel, litigants, attorneys, jurors, and the public, as well as threaten the continuous performance of essential Court functions and operations.”