Three staff members at Newcastle Crown Court have tested positive for coronavirus and six more are isolating as a precaution.
The news has been confirmed by the HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), which says hearings are continuing at the Newcastle Quayside building as normal.
It is understood the staff members with the virus were last in the court on Thursday, after which the building closed for the weekend.
As 72 hours had passed since the infected staff were at the site - and in line with central guidance – the court was not required to close.
A HMCTS spokesperson said: "The building is regularly deep cleaned to keep users safe and cases are going ahead as normal."
HMCTS also says that other staff at the site and stakeholders were informed of the positive cases.
This is not the first time Newcastle Crown Court has had a Covid outbreak.
Chroniclelive revealed that four people there had been diagnosed with coronavirus in September last year.
First, two people tested positive and three went into self-isolation. Then two more were reported to have tested positive for the virus, which led to concerns among people using the site and whether it was being cleaned effectively.
However, at the time HM Courts and Tribunals said they had complied with health regulations and specialist cleaning was carried out.
