Beginning Monday, the Grays Harbor County Courthouse will be open and in-person court proceedings will be held for the first time since COVID pandemic restrictions were initiated across the state roughly two months ago.

Presiding Superior Court Judge David Edwards and notified members of the county bar associationabout strict rules designed to keep the public and members of the legal community safe. Those include requirements for wearing masks or face shields while in the Courthouse, with exceptions laid out in an order from Edwards. Strict social distancing guidelines will in effect.

Edwards said the immediate task will be to schedule the backlog of proceedings that have been delayed by COVID restrictions. That will be made even more difficult he said, by the logistical complications of distancing. In some instances, it will take two Superior Court courtrooms to accommodate a single proceeding, for instance. Jury trials present special challenges and the county is waiting for permission to use a facility at the county Fairgrounds to safely accommodate jury trials, Edwards said.

The letter to the legal community notes that there will be substantial changes to the docket schedules. There will also be restrictions on the number of people allowed in the courtrooms.

Anyone who is sick or in quarantine won’t be allowed in public areas of the Courthouse and courtrooms although there will be allowances for active participants in court proceedings so that communication is clear.

Here are the exceptions for the mask requirements:

• Any child aged two years or less;

• Any child aged 12 years or less unless parents and caregivers supervise the use of face coverings by children to avoid misuse;

• Any individual who has a physical disability that prevents easily wearing or removing a face covering;

• Any individual who is deaf and uses facial and mouth movements as part of

communication or an individual who is communicating with a person who is deaf and uses facial and mouth movements as part of communication;

• Any individual who has been advised by a medical professional that wearing a face covering may pose a risk to that individual for health-related reasons;

• Any individual who has trouble breathing or is unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove the face covering without assistance.

• Social distancing measures of at least six feet from all other persons will be strictly enforced to the greatest extent practicable in all Courtrooms and public areas in the Courthouse. Each individual courtroom will have a limited capacity due to social distancing.

• All persons using the courthouse are encouraged to use their own masks or face coverings whenever possible. Face masks will be provided to persons who do not have a mask or face covering.

Much of the first week of in-person proceedings will be spent sorting out future scheduling matters for the backlog, Edwards said.