FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): Allen Superior Court will halt all jury trials until at least Jan. 11, 2021 due to the surge in COVID-19 cases in the area.

Court officials say the delay will continue until Allen County is no longer under the red color category on the state’s COVID-19 map.

“The court has gone to extraordinary steps to protect people entering its facilities, in particular those who have been called for jury duty,” said Judge Frances C. Gull, Administrative Judge of Superior Court’s Criminal Division. “But the most prudent thing we can do right now is to suspend jury trials entirely until it’s safer to ask people to come to the courthouse.”

There are about 40 jury trials scheduled through Jan. 8 as of Tuesday. However, bench trials, sentencings and guilty pleas will be able to continue. Many hearings have been conducted by phone and video since the start of the pandemic.

Court access has been restricted to prospective jurors, attorneys, litigants, court staff and those doing business with the clerk of the courts since Nov. 23.