Maryland Courts Extend Jury Trial Moratorium To Feb. 14 Amid Record COVID-19 Metrics

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- Maryland's judiciary on Wednesday announced it will continue its moratorium on jury trials until February 14 as a COVID-19 surge, spurred by the Omicron variant, continues to break key metric records.

The suspension in Maryland's federal courts, announced Dec. 28, was meant to end Jan 24. The order was amended because criteria such as  "hospitalizations, new cases and deaths remain troublingly high."

On Wednesday, state health officials reported 11,033 new cases, an increase in hospitalizations to 3,462 and the seven-day testing positivity rate sits at more than 26.9%.