Article originally published by ICNL, 10 March 2020 – accessible here
“The coronavirus is indeed a significant threat to public health. As of writing, there are over 110,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus, and the number will exponentially grow. Swift and effective government action is necessary. However, as we have seen during other emergency situations, some governments use a crisis as a pretext to infringe on rights. Others retain over- broad emergency powers after the crisis subsides. This article explores this tension and dis- cusses how international law provides a framework to help governments move quickly while upholding human rights in their response to a public health crisis.”