Jury service during covid.

[Buby51]

Hi all. Posting for dh. He's been called up for jury service in the next month or so. He's looking forward to it. I'm a little gutted as I was called up years ago but got excused due to various things at the time. But would like to be called up now again.

Anyway, what do you expect with covid going on? Obviously masks etc.

It says that cases are not expected to last longer than 10 days but what happens if they do? Do they tell you first if it's expected to last? I don't think dh's work would allow him more than 10 days off..

Sounds pretty unimportant but do they provide tea and coffee at the court? Can you leave the court for lunch or do you stay put until the end of the day?

Any other info, advice?

Lots of safety measures in place- individual screens between jurors in some courts- frequent breaks- refreshments provided in most courts and they will tell you at the start if the case is expected to last more than 2 weeks.

I last did jury service over 10 years ago so can't comment on any covid aspects, but tea and coffee were provided and you could leave for lunch. Whether you were on an active case or in the waiting room you'd be given a time to be back by, either by the judge or the court official in the waiting room. The only time we couldn't leave for lunch was when we were already deliberating, so they ordered in sandwiches for us.

I did 3 cases over the 2 weeks, so they were all quite short. The judge lets you know at the start of it's expected to be a long one. They have an idea because of the amount of evidence and number of witnesses. I don't know what the process is for asking to be excused for long cases.

It was a fascinating experience. I'd love to do it again.

"If a trial is likely to last longer you will be asked at the court if this will be difficult for you. You may be asked to provide proof of your difficulty. The court will try to meet your requirements as far as is practicable." ... The court will ask you if you are unable to be on a jury if the case would be over 2 weeks""
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/709844/jury-summons-guide-eng.pdf

I did jury service during the pandemic. They were strict with two meter distancing even in the actual courtroom. No refreshments provided at all. Best to take lunch as not allowed out once jury retires to consider verdict. Something no one warned me about is how harrowing it can be.

I’m doing jury service now. We were told at the start that our case was expected to last 3 weeks and if anyone had an issue with this.
No refreshments at all, not even water! Take everything.
Lots of social distancing measures in place which can make things more time consuming.
You can leave at lunch but factor in time to get back through security.
Interesting though.