(Radio Iowa) – The Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court has ordered a pause in jury trials as cases of COVID-19 are up. Jury trials were suspended in March after the pandemic started — and then began again in September after a couple of pilot trials to test coronavirus precautions recommended by a committee put together to study the issue. The Chief Justice now says jury trials will be on hold until at least February 1st. That is for any trial that has not sworn in a jury by November 16th.

The order also grants extended deadlines for prosecutors to bring cases to trial under Iowa’s speedy trial rules, and suspends all grand jury proceedings until February as well.