MOLD and Wrexham are part of a network of priority courts that will remain open during the coronavirus pandemic to make sure the justice system continues to operate effectively.

From Monday, courts changed the way they are working to protect staff and the public.

Wrexham Law Courts and Mold Law Courts are both classed as open courts and currently are open to the public for essential face-to-face hearings.

These are two of the 157 priority court and tribunal buildings open for essential face-to-face hearings, representing 42% of the 370 crown, magistrates, county and family courts and tribunals across England and Wales.

Anyone with a case scheduled at Mold Magistrates and Crown Court Law Courts is asked to attend unless they "are showing symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) and are self-isolating at home, or are self-isolating as you live or have been in contact with someone who has symptoms of coronavirus".

Civil and family court hearings will be held at Wrexham.

Media and members of the public will be able to attend priority court hearings in person, if safe to do so in line with Public Health England guidance, thereby ensuring the principle of open justice.

Nearby Chester and Prestatyn Magistrates Courts have been classed as staffed courts, meaning staff will continue to work but the buildings will be closed to the public.

The work of courts and tribunals has been consolidated into fewer buildings in line with public health advice.

The capacity for phone and video hearings has been significantly increased.

Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland said: "We are facing an unprecedented challenge and the government’s absolute priority is to save lives and protect the NHS.

"With each part of our justice system - from police to probation - dependent on one another, it is vital that we keep our courts running.

"This will only be done while ensuring the safety of the public, judges, legal professionals, staff and all those attending hearings and I’d like to thank everyone for their extraordinary efforts so far."

Any urgent or essential hearing that must be held in person, as decided by a judge, can be heard in the priority buildings.

The Lord Chief Justice said: "An extraordinary amount of hard work has gone into keeping our justice system functioning. Technology is being used creatively to ensure that many cases can continue. Not everything can be dealt with remotely and so we need to maintain functioning courts.

"These temporary adjustments to how we use the court estate will help ensure that we can continue to deal with work appropriately in all jurisdictions whilst safeguarding the well-being of all those who work in and visit the courts."