Officials of Hamilton County General Sessions Court said for the next several weeks, due to coronavirus concerns, they will hear only cases of those in jail or "as otherwise necessary."
They also said new sanitary procedures would take place including "disinfecting procedures and social distancing."
Defendants who are on bond will be notified of new court dates.
Officials said, "It is our hope to be ahead of any issues and to minimize any potential problems that could arise should this affect our community."
East Ridge Judge Cris Helton said the court there would follow the same procedure.
Judge Helton said, "After meeting with members of the District Attorney's office, members of the District Public Defender's office and Judges in the General Sessions Court, the City Court of the City of East Ridge, in an effort to slow the spread of the Corona virus, will follow the plan that has been implemented in Sessions Court. The City of East Ridge will only hear custody cases and cases otherwise necessary to be heard.
"If you have a case pending in the city of East Ridge and you are on bond you will be notified of a new court date. If you are charged with a traffic offense, please call the clerks office to obtain a new court date. We shall continue in this manner for the next several weeks."
City of East Ridge officials said it is postponing all recreational activities and community gatherings in the city’s park facilities during the period which follows the Hamilton County Department of Education school closure calendar.
The Camp Jordan Complex and East Ridge Community Center will be closed from March 16-27. Officials will continue to monitor the situation closely and make adjustments as warranted, it was stated.
Soddy Daisy courts will not be in session. As of right now, they do not plan to have court until Tuesday, April 14. All cases in the Soddy Daisy City Court for March 17, 24, and 31, shall be reset except those cases regarding incarcerated individuals. Any prisoner in-court proceedings will be limited to only persons necessary to those cases. If you have a case set for one of the listed above dates, you are instructed to contact the Soddy Daisy City Court Clerk's office at (423) 332-4741 or (423) 332-5323 to receive your new Court date. If you are out on bond, contact your bondsman as well.
Collegedale Municipal Court will be operating with a reduced docket for the next three weeks to include March 18, March 25 and April 1. Officials said, "During those three weeks, only defendants that are in custody will be seen, along with those that the court was unable to make contact with to reschedule. It is strongly encouraged that only essential people to cases being heard attend the court sessions. Anyone that has a question about their pending court case(s) is strongly urged to call the court clerk’s office at 423-468-1891 to inquire about their court date and status."
The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office said, "In order to limit potential exposure to our inmate population and employees at the Hamilton County Jail and Silverdale Detention Facility, all on-site inmate classroom programs and visitation have been suspended until further notice.
"Inmates will still have access to current video and phone communication to communicate with family, friends, and legal counsel."
Bradley County Sheriff Steve Lawson said, "Under my direction, the Bradley County Sheriff’s correctional and medical staffs have been ordered to implement enhanced policies and procedures for screening new intake inmates as well as those currently incarcerated. The implementation of these enhanced policies is to prevent the introduction of the COVID-19 virus in the Bradley County Jail.
"These measures include, but are not limited to, a two-week suspension of all programs that are reliant on outside staffing entering the facility, as well as the suspension of all non-essential persons from entering the correctional facility. All scheduled on-site public inmate visits will be canceled and terminated for a minimum of two weeks. However, all video home visitations will continue to allowed and scheduled.
"The health and safety of everyone inside and outside of the Bradley County Justice Center is of the greatest importance to my office and staff. While at this time, there have been no reported cases of the COVID-19 virus within the East Tennessee region, I believe this is a proactive measure that will greatly reduce the possible introduction of the COVID-19 virus and help ensure the health and safety of the staff and inmates of the Bradley County Jail. I want the citizens of Bradley County to know that we take the health and safety of everyone under our care, custody and control, as well as all of the employees of the justice center very seriously. We will continue to monitor the situation and will re-evaluate whether these measures may be lifted or should continue on Friday, March 27, and announce it at that time."
"In light of the recently confirmed case of COVID-19 in Knox County, we have received questions regarding our plan for how an inmate contraction of this virus would be handled, if that were to occur. In the event that an inmate at the Bradley County Jail contracts COVID-19, that inmate will be isolated immediately and receive care from our medical staff. At this point in time, as there are currently no confirmed cases in the southeastern region of Tenn., our jail administration and medical staff will continue to do everything in their power to ensure the welfare of our inmates and corrections employees."
Chattanooga Fire officials said, "The volunteer trip planned for this Saturday to assist with tornado cleanup has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. We will send the supplies that have been collected to the Nashville Red Cross."
The Rotary Club, Chattanooga’s largest civic club, has suspended meetings for the next two weeks "as a way to keep their members safe from the coronavirus."
Board members unanimously agreed to suspend the meetings on March 19 and 26. The board intends to meet after that point to determine reasonable next steps for hosting weekly meetings.
Club President Charlie Arant said, “We want to do all we can to keep our community safe during this time. While we enjoy our weekly meetings and camaraderie with our fellow club members, we also realize that the close proximity could lead to inadvertently exposing some of our members to the virus. With this in mind, we’re hopeful to come back stronger and healthier than ever in the coming weeks.”
The Chattanooga Green Prix has been cancelled. Officials said, "It's with a heavy heart that we cancel the Chattanooga Green Prix. The safety and welfare of students and Chattanoogans is of the utmost importance to us. Due to the threats we may face from COVID-19 we must cancel the Green Prix. Thank you to all of our sponsors, volunteers, and the hard work of students and teachers. We hope to reschedule this event as soon as possible."
The East Ridge Police Department community meeting scheduled for March 19, will be postponed until further notice. It will be rescheduled at a later date.
The City of Red Bank Court will be operating with a reduced docket for the next four weeks to include March 16, March 23, March 30 and April 6.
Red Bank Judge Johnny Houston said, "We will only handle in-custody cases at 2 pm. We encourage only people essential to the cases being heard attend the court sessions. It is requested that attorneys contact the court clerk at 423-874-0055 to reschedule out-of-custody cases. The clerk will attempt to call unrepresented defendants but they are encouraged to call the clerk at 423-874-0055."