(AP) — Hawaiʻi’s chief justice is ordering that jury trials in the state be postponed until October due to a surge in COVID-19 cases. Justice Mark Recktenwald says it’s prudent to reduce the number of people congregating to protect court users and staff. The order affects only jury trials. The Judiciary said all other court proceedings will be held as scheduled. Many proceedings are held remotely over Zoom. The seven-day average of new cases in Hawaiʻi is now at 651. The number of cases in the islands has jumped 82% in the past two weeks as the highly contagious delta variant spreads.

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