Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo has approved the grant of financial assistance to judges and court personnel who contracted Covid-19.

In a circular dated April 27, 2021, Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez said Gesmundo, with the concurrence of the Supreme Court (SC) en banc, gave the greenlight for the financial assistance for court officials and workers who required in-patient care or hospital confinement.

The assistance will cover those who sought treatment as well as those who died from March 2020 until the pandemic ends.

Mild to moderate illness will be equivalent to PHP15,000; critical illness which include but not limited to acute respiratory distress syndrome, septic shock requiring ventilation, oxygenation or renal replacement therapy, and the like, will be granted PHP30,000; and families of court workers who died due to Covid-19, whether hospitalized or not, will get PHP50,000.

Qualified SC beneficiaries must file the necessary documents at the Office of Court Administrator’s Financial Management division.

The requirements are reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test results, medical certificate indicating findings, and death certificate indicating that the patient died of the virus or complications due to Covid-19.