An empty trial court with COVID safety precautions at the Kings County Supreme Court in Brooklyn. Photo: Ryland West/ALM

The state court system is putting the brakes on new jury trials and new grand juries as New York fights climbing coronavirus figures, officials said Friday.

The indefinite postponement is perhaps the most sweeping curb on in-person proceedings since March, when the system shut down all "nonessential" services in a bid to slow the virus' spread.

Meanwhile the state court system, in recent weeks, has reported that dozens of employees have tested positive for the coronavirus.

Cases are surging in many parts of New York and coronavirus metrics statewide are curving upward as the nation remains engulfed in the pandemic.

New York on Friday reported more than 5,400 new coronavirus cases—the highest figure since late April when the state was enduring the spring coronavirus wave.

Despite rising coronavirus figures in recent weeks, the state court system has marched forward with jury trials and expressed confidence in their ability to conduct in-person jury trials.

That changed Friday when Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence Marks said in a memorandum that the state court system would be effectively halting for the time being new jury trials and new grand juries.

In a memorandum, Marks said that "no new prospective trial jurors" will be summoned for jury service starting Nov. 16 for both criminal and civil matters. The document did not specify when new jury trials might be restarted.

New prospective grand jurors will also not be summoned for service beginning Nov. 16, according to the memorandum.

"All future bench trials and hearings will be conducted virtually unless the respective deputy chief administrative judge permits otherwise," Marks said in the memorandum. "Pending bench trials will continue to conclusion."

The court system will let ongoing civil and criminal jury trials—along with sitting grand juries—continue until their conclusion, according to the memorandum.

In a video statement released Monday, Chief Judge Janet DiFiore reported that a jury trial in the Bronx has been adjourned after "several court employees" tested positive for the coronavirus.

As coronavirus cases have grown in New York, there's been an upswing in the number of court visitors and court employees who have tested positive, including more than 40 people reported so far this month by the court system.

Marks' memorandum noted that decisions over potential staffing level adjustments in trial courts "will be addressed in the coming days."

Several regions of New York are seeing a spike in the average number of new cases per 100,000 people. Those regions include Western New York, the North Country, the Mohawk Valley, the Finger Lakes and Central New York—all of which are seeing record highs in that metric as of Thursday.

In response to the rising coronavirus cases, New York is forcing bars, restaurants and gyms across New York to close at 10 p.m. on a daily basis in a bid to curb new infections.

The governor's office says bars, restaurants and any establishments licensed by the State Liquor Authority are required to close up on a daily basis between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

Gyms, along with fitness centers, will be subject to the same daily closure requirements as well, Cuomo's office reported.