Impacts of the Covid-19 Pandemic

Notes on Contributors xiii Foreword xv Preface xix Section 1 Countries with a Focus on the Rule of Law and Legal Protections of Civil Liberties 1 1 The Netherlands: Dutch COVID-19 Policy Viewed from a Fundamental Rights Perspective 3 Adriaan J. Wierenga and Jorrit Westerhof 1.1 Introduction 3 1.2 Disaster Management in the Netherlands 4 1.2.1 Functional and General Chain of Command 4 1.2.2 The COVID-19 Crisis 5 1.3 The Public Health Act 2008 (Functional Chain of Command) 5 1.3.1 National Crisis Structure 6 1.3.2 Measures 7 1.4 Municipal Emergency Powers (General Chain of Command) 8 1.4.1 Areas of Tension 8 1.4.2 Debatable Limitations of Fundamental Rights 9 1.4.3 Democratic Control and Administrative Supervision 10 1.5 Interim COVID-19 Measures Act (Addition to the Functional Chain of Command) 11 1.5.1 Improvements and Shortcomings 12 1.5.2 Legitimate Limitation of Fundamental Rights 12 1.5.3 Stricter Democratic Control 13 1.6 National Emergency Law 14 1.6.1 Separate Implementation 15 1.6.2 Criticism 16 1.6.3 The Curfew Case 17 1.7 Conclusion 18 References 19 2 Emergencies, Executive Power, and Ireland’s Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic 23 Alan Greene 2.1 Introduction 23 2.2 Ireland’s Constitutional Emergency Framework 24 2.2.1 International Human Rights Law 26 2.3 Ireland’s Pandemic Response and Constitutional Constraints 27 2.3.1 Pandemic Rent Controls and Constitutional Constraints 28 2.3.2 Executive Supremacy and the COVID-19 Pandemic 29 2.4 Ireland’s Pandemic Response and Human Rights 31 2.4.1 The Pandemic and the Right to Liberty 31 2.4.1.1 Mandatory Hotel Quarantine 32 2.4.2 Quarantine and Detention at Home 34 2.5 Data Protection, Surveillance, and Discrimination Issues 36 2.5.1 Vaccination and Vaccine Passports 37 2.6 COVID-19 and the Rule of Law in Ireland 38 2.7 Conclusions 39 3 COVID-19: Legal Lessons Learned in Switzerland 41 Felix Uhlmann 3.1 Introduction 41 3.2 Legal Framework 41 3.2.1 Legal Framework before COVID-19 (Swiss Epidemics Act) 41 3.2.1.1 Scope and Goals 41 3.2.1.2 Normal, Particular, and Extraordinary Situations 42 3.2.1.3 Measures 44 3.2.2 Legal Framework Under COVID-19 45 3.2.2.1 First and SecondWave 45 3.2.2.2 Financial Aid 47 3.2.2.3 The Federal Council and Other Actors 48 3.3 Contact Tracing App 48 3.4 Fundamental Rights (Civil Liberties) 50 3.4.1 Restrictions on Daily Life 50 3.4.2 Vaccinations 52 3.5 Assessment 53 References 54 4 Not Dead Yet: Protest, Process, and Germany’s Constitutional Democracy Amid the Coronavirus Response 59 Carolyn Halladay 4.1 The FirstWave: So Far, So Good 60 4.2 Proportionality and its Discontents 65 4.3 Summer in the City 67 4.4 Is it an Emergency Yet? 71 4.5 Second Guessing the SecondWave 75 4.6 Happily Ever After? 77 5 The United Kingdom Legislative Response to Coronavirus: Shotgun or Machine Gun 79 Ronan Cormacain and Duncan Fairgrieve 5.1 Introduction 79 5.2 Reliance Upon Law 79 5.3 Nature of the Legal Framework 80 5.3.1 Machine Gun Legislative Response 80 5.3.2 Devolution and the Legislative Response 80 5.3.3 Overview of the Legislative Framework 81 5.3.4 Pre-existing Laws or New Laws 84 5.3.5 Use of Emergency/Urgency Powers and Procedures or Use of Regular Powers and Procedures 84 5.3.6 Sunset Clauses/Expiry Dates 86 5.4 Substance of the Legal Response 86 5.4.1 Restrictions on Individual Liberties 86 5.4.2 Travel Restrictions 87 5.4.3 Vaccination Policy 87 5.4.4 Track and Trace 90 5.4.5 Support Measures – Furlough Payments, no Evictions 90 5.5 Problems/Analysis of the Legal Response 91 5.5.1 Reliance upon Emergency Procedures and Processes to Make Law in a Rush 91 5.5.2 Lack of Effective Parliamentary Scrutiny 92 5.5.3 Conflation of Law with Guidance 93 5.5.4 Inaccessible and Unintelligible Legislation 94 5.5.5 Risk of Creep of Emergency Practices into Normal Lawmaking 95 5.5.6 Compliance with the Rules by Those in Power 96 5.6 Conclusion 96 Section 2 Countries making Extensive use of Emergency Laws and Securitization 99 6 The State of Exception and its Effects on Civil Liberties in Italy During the COVID-19 Crisis 101 Anna Malandrino, Margherita Paola Poto, and Elena Demichelis 6.1 Introduction 101 6.2 Defining the Elements of States of Exception (SoE) 103 6.2.1 States of Exception in the General Context 103 6.2.2 Italy 103 6.3 States of Exception During the Pandemic: Declaration, Implementation, and Effects 108 6.3.1 Establishing and Implementing the States of Exception 108 6.3.2 The Potential Effects of States of Exception on Civil Liberties 109 6.4 States of Exception and Containment Measures during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy: Regulatory Aspects 110 6.5 States of Exception and Containment Measures During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy: Implementation 112 6.6 The Effects of States of Exception Measures on Civil Liberties 113 6.7 Conclusions 116 References 116 7 Praise the Alarm: Spain’s Coronavirus Approach 121 Carolyn Halladay, Florina C. Matei, and Andres de Castro 7.1 Quien aprisa juzgó, despacio se arrepintió: The Early Days of COVID and the Spanish Response 123 7.2 Culpa no tiene, quien hace lo que debe: The FirstWave and the First Lockdown 125 7.3 Cada uno quiere justiciar, mas no por su casa: The SecondWave and the Second Lockdown 130 7.4 Con necesidad, no hay ley? States of Emergency in Spain and Beyond 133 7.5 Hasta que pruebes, no absuelvas ni condenes: COVID and the Law Amid Spanish Tensions 137 7.6 El fin veremos; hasta entonces no hablemos: Conclusion 139 8 Pandemic Pangs and Fangs: Romania’s Public Safety and Civil Liberties in the COVID-19 Era 141 Florina C. Matei 8.1 Legal Framework and Policy Approaches Vis-À-Vis Quarantine, Isolation, and Other Social Distancing Measures 141 8.2 Quarantine, Isolation, and Other Social Distancing Measures During the Covid-19 Pandemic 144 8.2.1 From a State of Emergency amidst a Political Crisis… 144 8.2.2 …To a State of Alert: Anachronistic Legislation Meets Ebbing and Flowing Restrictions 150 8.2.2.1 Vaccination Campaign: Needles for Fangs 153 8.2.3 Transparency During the Pandemic: Between Thought Police, Strategic “Mis” Communications, and Conspiracy Theories 154 8.2.3.1 Civil Society: A Tamed yet Clamorous Cerberus? 157 8.2.4 A “Plagued” Executive–Legislative–Judiciary Trifecta 159 8.3 Conclusion: Civil Liberties and Freedoms 161 9 Policymaking and Liberty Restrictions in the Covid-19 Crisis, the Case of France 165 Angelique Palle, Lisa Carayon, François Delerue, Florian Opillard, and Christelle Chidiac Disclaimer 165 9.1 Introduction 165 9.2 Policymaking and Liberty Restrictions in France During Covid-19 Crisis, Research Questions and Methodology 166 9.3 Regulation and Policymaking in France During Covid-19, Context and Background 167 9.4 “State of Emergency Related to the Sanitary Situation/Etat d’Urgence Sanitaire”: The Recourse to an Exceptional Legal Framework 169 9.5 The Involvement of the Armed Forces in France in the Covid-19 Crisis Management, Between Political Display and Response to the Crisis 170 9.6 Perception by the French Population of the Missions Performed by the Armed Forces and of the Nature of the Covid-19 Crisis 172 9.7 Analyzing Local and Regional Measures of Civil Liberties’s Restrictions in the Context of the “State of Emergency Related to the Sanitary Situation” (état d’urgence sanitaire), the Case of the Freedom of Movement throughout the First to the Second Confinement 173 9.8 Legitimizing Civil Liberties Restrictions and Shaping the Governance of Policymaking, Comparison of the Two Cities of Rennes and Nice 175 9.9 Conclusion 179 References 179 Section 3 Countries Focused on Population Monitoring and Restrictions 181 10 Policy Measures, Information Technology, and People’s Collective Behavior in Taiwan’s COVID-19 Response 183 Cheryl Lin, Pikuei Tu, Wendy E. Braund, Jewel Mullen, and Georges C. Benjamin 10.1 Introduction 183 10.2 A Snapshot of Taiwan 184 10.2.1 The Legal Framework Pertaining to Pandemic Response 184 10.2.1.1 Epidemic Control and Public Health Emergency 184 10.2.1.2 Personal Information 186 10.3 The Ominous Beginning of the Pandemic 186 10.3.1 Swift Responses Early On 187 10.4 Blocking Infection Importation and Local Transmission 188 10.4.1 Tightened Border Control 188 10.4.2 Rigorous Contact Tracing 189 10.4.2.1 Augmentation with Information Technology (IT) 189 10.4.3 Enforcing Quarantine – Operations and Mechanism 190 10.4.3.1 Provisions, Compensation, and Penalties During Quarantine 190 10.5 Active Participatory Role of the Public – Awareness and Preventive Behavior 192 10.5.1 Common Use of Masks and Response to Shortage 192 10.5.2 Promoting and Self-Adhering to Social Distancing 192 10.6 Healthcare System and Capacity 193 10.6.1 National Health Insurance (NHI) and Data Integration 193 10.6.2 Infectious Disease Control Medical Network 194 10.6.3 Assuring Care and Support for the Providers 195 10.7 The Heights of Cases, Anxiety, and Dilemmas 195 10.7.1 The Surge of Spring/Summer 2021 196 10.7.2 Amended Policies and Reflections of the Surge 197 10.8 Vaccine Supply, Hesitancy, and Distribution 198 10.8.1 Slow Delivery and Shortage of Supply 198 10.8.2 Vaccine Hesitancy and Demand 199 10.8.3 Vaccine Prioritization and Administration 200 10.9 Reflections and Conclusions 200 References 201 11 The Legislative and Political Responses of Viet Nam to the Covid-19 Pandemic: The Balancing of Public Health and Collective Civil Liberties 209 Nguyen T. Trung and Nguyen Q. Duong Disclaimer 209 11.1 Introduction 209 11.2 Background: The FourWaves of Covid-19 in Viet Nam 211 11.2.1 The FirstWave (23 January–19 April 2020) 211 11.2.2 The SecondWave (25 July–2 September 2020) 212 11.2.3 The ThirdWave (28 January–13 March 2021) 213 11.2.4 The FourthWave (27 April–15 July 2021) 214 11.3 The Legislative Framework in Combating Infectious Disease 215 11.3.1 Legislative and Administrative Documents in Vietnam 215 11.3.2 The Constitution 215 11.3.3 The 2007 Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases 216 11.3.3.1 Prevention Measures 217 11.3.3.2 Combating Measures 217 11.3.3.3 Prohibited Activities and Fines for Failures to Implement Prevention and Combating Measures 218 11.3.4 The Criminal Code 219 11.3.5 Three Directives of the Prime Minister 220 11.4 The Policy Responses of the Vietnamese Government During the Pandemic 221 11.4.1 The Contact Tracing System 222 11.4.2 Quarantine Regulation 223 11.4.3 Social Distancing Measures 224 11.5 The Paradigm Shift in the Legal and Political Responses and the Balancing of Public Health and Civil Liberties 224 11.5.1 The Paradigm Shift in the Legal and Political Responses 225 11.5.2 The Balancing of Public Health and Civil Liberties 226 11.6 Conclusion 228 References 230 12 Singapore United 235 Jacinta I-Pei Chen, Sharon H.X. Tan, Peak Sen Chua, Jeremy Lim, and Jason Chin-Huat Yap 12.1 Governing Philosophy and Laws 235 12.2 Early Response to Circuit Breaker (February–May 2020) 237 12.2.1 Enforcement Approach 242 12.2.2 Financial and Other Supportive Resources 243 12.2.3 Religion, Marriage, and Family Life 244 12.2.4 Communications 245 12.3 Relaxation of Measures (June 2020–April 2021) 246 12.3.1 Prioritizing Sectors 251 12.3.2 Strengthening Outbreak Control Capabilities 251 12.3.3 General Elections 2020 253 12.4 Heightened Alert (May 2021–June 2021) 254 12.5 Leveraging Technology 261 12.5.1 Data Privacy, Security, and Governance 263 12.5.2 What Next? 264 12.6 MigrantWorker Dormitories 264 12.6.1 The Regulatory Regime 265 12.6.2 The Dormitory Outbreaks 265 12.6.3 Reflections 266 12.7 Discussion 271 12.8 Conclusion 272 Acknowledgements 273 References 273 Section 4 Countries Focused on Fostering Popular Trust in Government, Emphasizing Social Welfare, and Limiting Sanctions and Restrictions 301 13 Sweden and Covid-19: A (Mainly) Recommendary Approach 303 Iain Cameron and Anna Jonsson Cornell 13.1 Introduction 303 13.2 Setting the Stage – The Initial Swedish Response to the Pandemic 303 13.3 The Constitutional Context 305 13.4 The Legislative Procedure, Delegation of Powers, and Rights Protection 308 13.5 The Public Health Agency and the Act on Protection Against Contagious Diseases 309 13.6 Legal Measures Taken to Counter the Spread of Covid-19 311 13.7 Vaccination and Exit Strategies 312 13.8 Putting the Swedish Soft Power Strategy in Context 313 13.9 Evaluating the Swedish Measures from a Rule of Law Perspective 315 13.10 Concluding Remarks 319 14 Administrative Guidance in Coronavirus Special Measures Act in 2021 in Japan 323 Yuichiro Tsuji 14.1 The 2020 CSMA 323 14.1.1 2021 CSMA and Administrative Guidance 323 14.1.2 How CSMA was Amended 325 14.1.3 How CSMA was Amended, and Why 326 14.1.4 Legalization of the Self-restraint Order 326 14.1.5 Sanctions, not Penal but Administrative 327 14.1.6 Revision of the Infectious Diseases Act 328 14.2 Administrative Guidance and COVID-19 in 2021 329 14.2.1 Traditional Theory in Japanese Administrative Law 330 14.2.2 Legal Control of Administrative Guidance 330 14.2.3 Art. 33 of APA When a Citizen does not Follow Administrative Guidance 331 14.2.4 Public Announcement 332 14.2.5 Public Announcement in TMG 332 14.2.6 Merits and Demerits of Administrative Guidance 333 14.2.7 How to Impose Administrative Fine Procedural Requirement 334 14.2.8 APA Ordinance and TMG 334 14.3 Conclusion 335 References 336 15 Canada’s Fight Against COVID-19: Constitutionalism, Laws, and the Global Pandemic 339 Iffath U. Syed 15.1 Non-Pharmaceutical Intervention (NPI) Measures 340 15.2 COVID-19 Special Acts for Relief and Compensatory Measures 341 15.3 Long-Term Care Crisis 346 15.4 Research and Vaccine Development Initiatives 347 15.5 Other Policies and Governmental Actions to Dampen the Pandemic 347 15.6 New Year, But Pandemic Looms 350 15.7 Summary, Limitations, and Concluding Remarks 351 References 351 16 Coronavirus and the Social State: Austria in the Pandemic 359 Donald Abenheim and Carolyn Halladay 16.1 The Impfpflicht 361 16.2 The Freedom Party’s Liberties 363 16.3 A Bundle of Measures 364 16.4 A Decade or More of Crises 367 16.5 The Sozialstaat Strikes Back 371 16.6 Protest, Rhetoric, and the Law 373 16.7 Conclusion: Community, Communicability, and the Constitution 376 Afterword 379 Index 381