Courts will function with a skeleton staff and defendants will spend more time in prison before facing trial as the coronavirus crisis continues to hit the criminal justice system.
Many court staff, including judges, were today told to not return to work until the summer, as the Government's response to pandemic becomes more restrictive.
Those over 70 or anyone with underlying health conditions will self isolate for 12 weeks in line with advice, which is thought could apply to about 20 million people across the country.
A murder trial originally set to be heard next week has been adjourned, and other complex cases face a similar fate. A huge backlog of cases are expected to be created in the months to come as a result of the problems