 dramatic development today in court in courtroom at Old Bailey in London. This was supposed to have been day four of the resumption of Julian Assange's expedition hearing. I'm Joe Laurier reporting for CN Live. As we waited for the beginning of the resumption of the hearing today, Thursday in London, we saw a courtroom that was empty and we then saw a video of remotely of John of James Lewis, the prosecution lawyer, and we didn't understand why he was speaking from his flat in London rather than in the courtroom. He said he couldn't get home. We then saw a report from UK court news that said that a member of one of the teams, the defense teams or the prosecution team had positive symptoms of coronavirus and was being tested. Vanessa Barreza then arrived physically in the courtroom. We could see it on the video. She was addressed by Edward Fitzgerald who is one of the lawyers for Julian Assange. Fitzgerald said we shouldn't be here in this courtroom. COVID could be here in this courtroom. The staff and you yourself addressing Barreza may be at risk and finally our client whose vulnerabilities you are aware of would be at risk. Until we have a result, we could make this remote, Fitzgerald said, but you're aware of the technical difficulties and you have said that the hearing should be held in person in court. Fitzgerald concluded by saying it would not be fair if our client is not present in the courtroom. Barreza then asked Lewis, the prosecutor, what he thought about this and he said we don't think it's possible to go. We think that we agree, he said. It would be best if we adjourned until Monday to know whether or not the test is positive. It would be highly unsatisfactory by tomorrow to conduct the hearing remotely, he said. It's not easy to cross examine someone by video link. We have layers of technical difficulties. All I can see right now is the back of Mr. Fitzgerald's jacket frozen on the screen. It is unsatisfactory to deal with him that way. Barreza seemed reluctant but she agreed after hearing from both sides that this case would be adjourned until Monday pending the test results of one of the lawyers who was in the courtroom on Wednesday to see whether or not she has COVID-19. The test will be made, a result will be known Friday, Barreza said. She did, however, reserve to herself the right to hold this hearing remotely if, in fact, the test is positive. So we won't know anymore until tomorrow Friday if the test is positive, whether this will continue remotely, whether it will be postponed indefinitely. Certainly the courtroom will have a deep cleaning, but you could understand the concern of Fitzgerald and Lewis and everyone else there, the staff at all barely, about being in that courtroom. It has COVID-19 as intruded once again into the extradition hearing of Julian Assange. It began back in February and had to be cut short all the way these many months now until September because of the pandemic that raged through London and is not at the level it was previously, although there are increases in numbers in Britain, so it found its way this microscopic menace into the courtroom at all barely. And as of right now, these entire hearings on hold, the defense team had put up Eric Lewis, an American lawyer, to be the only witness today. He was to testify all day. Lewis wrote a piece in The Independent in Britain last year saying that he was an American, but he did not want to see Assange extradited to his country. So there was a long day planned with him. We presume that that's how we're going to begin again on Monday with Eric Lewis on the stand and with James Lewis, the prosecutor in the wings, waiting to go after him as he's done the previous defense witnesses. So again, a dramatic day at all barely in London. The extradition hearing of Julian Assange is on hold adjourned until Monday and awaiting the test results of a lawyer who was in the courtroom on Wednesday to see whether she has COVID-19. We will be reporting again Monday unless there are updates about the situation regarding the test results. So until then, this is Joe Lawyer reporting for CN Live.