Aberdeen Sheriff Court will remain open and operate as it has been despite the region moving into Level 4.
The entirety of mainland Scotland today moved into Level 4 coronavirus restrictions, with hospitality and non-essential shops forced to close their doors.
But Aberdeen Sheriff Court, along with other courthouses in the north-east, will continue to operate as they have been during the pandemic.
In a statement, the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service said its buildings were already configured to operate safely at Level 4.
The statement said: “Courts and tribunals are defined as essential services that remain open under all four levels of the current Covid arrangements.
“Business programmed for this week and the coming weeks will, therefore, continue as normal. If you are due to attend a court or tribunal in the coming period you should continue to do so – unless specifically advised otherwise.
“The First Minister stressed in her statement that Scotland is taking a precautionary approach in view of the recent rise in cases and the emergence of a new strain in England and Wales.
“For everyone attending courts and tribunals at this time, we would reiterate that need for caution.
“Our buildings are already configured to operate safely at level 4, and did so for a number of weeks during the recent level 4 period in large parts of west and central Scotland.
“We will, of course, continue to maximise remote hearings where possible, alongside conducting essential business in our premises.
“To maintain the safest possible working environment at this time we would remind everyone attending our buildings to take the simple precautions that helps keep everyone safe.
“These precautions remain the best tools against transmission so we all need to stick with them: two-metre physical distancing, frequent handwashing, wearing a face covering and registering with Safe2Go when you are on site.
“We would like to thank all our service users and partners for their continuing co-operation in making our premises safe places in which to maintain the essential services of justice.”
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