JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — All in-person jury trials in three of the four counties covered by the Seventh Judicial Circuit in Florida will be suspended due to a rise in COVID-19 cases.
In an e-mail sent to attorneys, COVID-19 positivity rates exceeded 10% in Putnam, St. Johns and Volusia counties. Because of this, in-person jury trials will be suspended until further notice.
In-person jury trials in Flagler County, which is also in the Seventh Judicial Circuit, are not affected.
The e-mail told attorneys the situation will be re-evaluated next Friday.
As most of the country hopes to move past the COVID-19 pandemic, more cases of COVID-19 are being reported across the country. This is in part due to the Delta variant, which accounts for roughly 52% of the U.S.'s new cases.
According to the most recent data from the Florida Department of Health, for the week of July 2, there were nearly about 23,700 new covid cases statewide — compared to about 16,000 the prior week.
First Coast News will continue to follow this story as more information becomes available.