Dispute Resolution

COVID-19 Circuit Breaker Measures: Court Proceedings for Essential and Urgent Matters Only

On 3 April 2020, the Singapore Government announced an elevated set of safe distancing measures to be in place from 7 April 2020 until 4 May 2020 ("Relevant Period"). As part of this initiative, on 6 April 2020, the Supreme Court, State Courts and Family Justice Courts announced that they will hear only essential and urgent matters in the Relevant Period. Registrars' Circulars ("Circulars") have been issued by each of the three Courts to identify the matters that may be considered to be essential and urgent. In this Update, we highlight the key elements of the Circulars, including the identified essential and urgent matters and the relevant timelines and processes.