OPERATIONS at the San Fernando High Court came to a standstill yesterday as word spread that a police constable attached to the Court and Process branch had contracted the H1N1 influenza virus or swine flu and was critically ill.

The officer, of Penal, was at work up until last Friday and was admitted on Saturday to the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) where he was being treated at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

The three criminal courts, to which the officer was assigned, were the first to be suspended followed by the Civil Courts ’as a precaution’.

By 2 p.m., most of the other members of staff had left work.

Sitting in the Second Assize Court, Justice Anthony Carmona told jurors that confirmation had been received by the court of the officer’s condition.

He said the court learnt that the 27-year-old officer was vomiting blood and his breathing was being assisted by a ventilator.

’This would explain to you why the police officers (on duty in the court today) are in plain clothes because they are unable to access the area where their uniforms are as their colleague would have been in that area,’ Carmona said. ’I do empathise and I hope their colleague recovers quickly.’

Four people have died at the hospital’s ICU from the swine flu.

All the deaths are from a relatively small geographic area, and all the victims were morbidly obese, according to executive medical director of the South West Regional Health Authority, Dr Albert Persad.

Carmona said the court could not be indifferent to the gravity of the situation.

’Maybe by tomorrow sanitisers and other necessary paraphernalia would be provided. We need to exercise precaution and extreme vigilance.’

A matter involving Garrison Adams, who is charged with having marijuana in his possession for the purpose of trafficking, was adjourned to tomorrow when State attorney Mauriceia Joseph is expected to open the case.

In the First Assize Court, Justice Prakash Moosai also issued a similar advisory to the 12-member jury with three alternates in the murder trial against 34-year-old Andy Adams, who is accused of murdering 21-year-old Kernel Jobe at Paradise Avenue, McBean Village, Couva, around 7 p.m. on June 25, 2004.

Also adjourned was the trial of brothers Ramcharan and Kishore Harry who are charged with setting fire to the home of Asha Ramoutar at Cuchawan Trace, Debe on the night of March 15, 1997.

That trial is being heard before Justice Gillian Lucky and a nine-member jury in the Third Assize Court.

It was expected that Lucky would have delivered her summation to the jury yesterday following which they would have retired to consider the evidence and possibly return a verdict.

The matter was adjourned to today.

The Express was told that a sanitising agency was contacted to carry out work on the building.

Medical epidemiologist at the Ministry of Health Dr Avery Hinds was called in to calm staff at the Hall of Justice in Port of Spain after a senior officer reportedly contracted swine flu yesterday.

Speaking to the Express by telephone yesterday, Judiciary Court Protocol and Information manager Jones P Madeira said Hinds, along with Chief Justice Ivor Archie, came to talk to the employees about the virus and precautions they could take to prevent contracting it.

’We thought it was a good idea to have Dr Hinds come in and talk to them and put any fears they might have at ease. However, they were not immediately affected since the confirmed case was being kept in isolation, they just heard about it,’ he said.

Madeira added that Hinds will also be visiting the San Fernando Supreme Court today to alleviate any misconceptions the employees may have had that forced them to adjourn the court yesterday.

’We advised them that they will have to report for duty as usual tomorrow. The disruptions we had (yesterday) were unfortunate, but things will return to normal,’ he said.

-reporting by Aabida Allaham