A Kamloops defense lawyer says he and many others are pleased that the local courthouse has stepped up precautions today because of COVID-19.

Jay Michi, who is immunocompromised, says there was general concern late last week that not enough was being done, but he says precautions have been stepped up.

“When I got to court this morning, essentially one thing can happen in court at a time. They’re giving priority to people who are in custody. Their matters, their bail hearings, their sentences. Most matters, for people who are out of custody or family case conferences, are getting adjourned for a couple months now.”

He says the courthouse was at a level-two alert on Friday, on a system that goes to level-four.

“Level three was more moderate restrictions on services, and we’re clearly at level-three today. Although I haven’t seen an email that specifically says that, but we got a communication very early this morning. It was clear that staff in the court system were working over the weekend.”

Michi also says there’s a high anxiety for his clients who are in custody or could potentially be in custody soon, but he says he’s often re-assured that there are top-level healthcare services for inmates.