How Will The coronavirus Affect My Court Date?
Everyone who has been arrested in Harris county, Texas has questions about how to move forward not only with all of the new challenges to life in general, but also how to comply with answering to their arrest situation. I will provide some answers to some of Harris county’s most common questions this week.
Will I Have to Appear in Court?
All of the elected judges in Houston are concerned about the health and safety of Harris county citizens. As of today, there are almost 70 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Texas. We all know there are likely hundreds more who do not yet know they are infected. Being in an enclosed room with 100 strangers is not the place for anyone.
The best action you can take immediately is to obtain representation by a respected lawyer. Judges are commonly allowing lawyers to make court appearances on behalf of their clients and to allow for rescheduling of court by attorneys. Those without representation do not have the means by which to even communicate with court staff about appearance requirements. If you’ve been arrested and charged with any crime, and you are unsure about court appearance requirements, obtain legal representation before you do anything else.
Is It Safe for Me to Meet with My Lawyer?
At Jim Medley Defense Lawyer, we take your personal health and safety very seriously. Jim Medley has implemented a policy of allowing telephone and teleconference interviews in order to help ensure the safety of clients and our office staff. In any exceptional cases where clients must come in, we are only accommodating one client at a time, and we are cleaning after any visitors in our office.
Can the Government Make All of These Restaurants and Bars Close?
The Constitution grants the government broad powers on issues involving public safety and health. The alarming rate at which the coronavirus has spread in our country, and the fact that it has proven deadly many times, requires a unified effort. Regardless of the ability of the government to force closure of large group gatherings, all of us must donate our own personal sacrifices to help save our own lives. We support the efforts of the government to take swift action to help prevent the spread of this dangerous virus, and we encourage everyone to cooperate.
How Do I Know If I’m a Carrier of COVID-19?
You DON’T know. That is why all of these measures are important. One unknowing infected person may touch or breath on dozens of people before they realize they are sick, and within weeks thousands are exposed because of one person not being safe. The need to avoid crowds is not because crowds are dangerous; crowds don’t carry COVID-19. PEOPLE carry it, and it is that ONE PERSON who turns their own sickness into a public crisis.
Symptoms can take up to 14 days to appear after a person is infected. According to the CDC, the most common observable symptoms are:
* fever
* cough
* shortness of breath
Emergency Symptoms Include:
* difficulty breathing
* pain, pressure in the chest
* inability to arouse
* blush lips or face
Let’s all respect the possible threat that we may pose to our own family and to our neighbors and follow safety protocols until we as a strong nation get this behind us and we move on with our normal healthy lives.
Jim Medley and staff