COVID surge in Macon may halt Bibb County Superior Court jury trials well into fall
Amid a rise in COVID-19 infections locally, Bibb County’s chief Superior Court judge said Friday that he expects to issue a 30-day judicial-emergency order next week, halting jury trials in the county’s highest court at least into early October.
Judge Howard Z. Simms’ order, which he said would most likely go into effect midweek after the Labor Day holiday, could be extended further if pandemic conditions do not improve.
Superior Court jury trials were put on hold in mid-August as COVID infections affected several cases underway at the downtown Macon courthouse.
Simms said at the time that witnesses and others with connections to the proceedings had tested positive for COVID or been exposed to the illness.
The venerable courthouse, which overlooks the corner of Second and Mulberry streets, has compact jury rooms, which don’t offer much room for jurors to spread out during deliberations as COVID protocols require. The cramped spaces were among the factors Simms considered in deciding to postpone trials.
Bond hearings and plea hearings were expected to continue as they don’t present the crowding conditions that juries and jury selection can.