Corona emergency: travel, physical integrity, inviolability of the apartment - this could limit our rights.
- If the corona virus spreads seriously , the authorities would take more measures.
- The Infection Protection Act regulates which fundamental rights could be restricted.
- Some groups of people could be particularly affected - a UN Commissioner for Human Rights already points to “morally reprehensible” measures in some countries.
Berlin / Geneva - It is still completely unclear how the corona virus will spread further. But Federal Health Minister Spahn has already asked the federal states to develop pandemic plans.
For some people, the restriction of their rights has already become a reality: The 300 participants in a carnival session in Heinsberg , in which a couple infected with the coronavirus * also participated, are not allowed to leave their apartment for two weeks and have to share with friends and relatives Have food supplied, and create a kind of health report, as reported by dpa .
Coronavirus emergency: This is what measures could look like
"If necessary, important fundamental rights such as freedom of the person, freedom of assembly or inviolability of the apartment as well as the right to physical integrity can be restricted," a spokesman for the Bavarian Ministry of Health told dpa. Bayreuth constitutional lawyer Stephan Rixen explains the processes, also to dpa, as follows: First of all, the authorities of the federal states, including the health authorities, are responsible. If the situation becomes more serious, a crisis team composed of representatives from several ministries will have to take over - in contact with the Robert Koch Institute.
The following measures could then be taken:
The spread of the #Corona virus also means a new, challenging situation for Germany. A group of experts from the Federal Government regularly monitors developments and advises on necessary measures. Answers to important questions can be found here: https://t.co/yXo3e1LewS pic.twitter.com/cL6uwWoELl
- Steffen Seibert (@RegSprecher) February 26, 2020These restrictions are regulated in the nationwide Infection Protection Act (IfSG) . However, Rixen emphasizes that restrictions should always be proportionate and, for example, only have to be limited in time, space or personnel. It is currently impossible to imagine the closure of entire cities, such as Karim Maciejewski from the Federal College of Public Administration in Brühl near Cologne. Berlin senator Andreas Geisel (SPD) shares this assessment, but the city still has disaster protection plans in the drawer and can take appropriate action. In any case, the following applies: If the district offices have difficulty implementing the measures, the police can be called in.
Coronavirus emergency: For these people, drastic restrictions are already a reality
UN Human Rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet called on Thursday in front of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva for " proportionality " and " compliance with human rights ". It demands that the right to "food and clean water, human treatment, access to medical care, the right to information and freedom of expression" should also be guaranteed for all people who are in quarantine. Reports from the Washington-based organization Uighur Human Rights Project show that this does not always have to be the case. The Muslim Uighur minority therefore does not have enough food or medication - they are currently quarantined in the Chinese province of Xinjiang. Measures are also criticized in North Korea, where hundreds of foreigners are said to be in forced quarantines.
The Commissioner for Human Rights is particularly concerned worldwide about relatives of vulnerable groups who have an increased risk of infection - such as older people who lived in community facilities .
kat with dpa
* Merkur.de is part of the Germany-wide Ippen-Digital editors network.
Rubric list picture: © dpa / Ryu Seung-Il
