Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Bill 2020

On 17 March 2020 the Government agreed draft legislation to support the national response to COVID-19.

The Health (Preservation and Protection and Other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Bill 2020 (“the Bill”) aims to deal with public health and social welfare issues in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this regard, the Bill provides the Minister for Health with the power to make regulations to prevent and limit the spread of COVID-19 including the power to direct people to stay at home and impose restrictions on travel, the holding of certain events, access to certain premises and to provide enforcement mechanisms and measures concerning same.

The Bill further provides for powers for certain medical officers to order, in certain specified circumstances, the detention of persons who are suspected to be possible sources of infection of COVID-19.

These powers will be available where there is “an immediate, exceptional and manifest risk to human life and public health” from the spread of COVID-19.

In relation to social welfare, the Bill amends and extends the Social Welfare Acts to provide for additional income supports for people who are diagnosed with, or required to self-isolate due to COVID-19. The Bill removes the waiting period for payment of Jobseekers Benefit and Jobseekers Allowance in these circumstances.

The Government is aiming to have the Bill (subject to any amendments) enacted by Friday 20 March 2020.

How we can help

If you have any queries or concerns, or would like to discuss the above in further detail, please feel free to contact Richard Lee, Partner, BHSM on 01 440 8300 / rlee@bhsm.ie.

This article is for general information purposes. Legal advice must be obtained for individual circumstances. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this article, no liability is accepted by the author for any inaccuracies.