Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Act 2020
Number 1 of 2020
HEALTH (PRESERVATION AND PROTECTION AND OTHER EMERGENCY MEASURES IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST) ACT 2020
REVISED
Updated to 21 June 2022
This Revised Act is an administrative consolidation of the Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Act 2020. It is prepared by the Law Reform Commission in accordance with its function under the Law Reform Commission Act 1975 (3/1975) to keep the law under review and to undertake revision and consolidation of statute law.
All Acts up to and including the Garda Síochána (Amendment) Act 2022 (10/2022), enacted 17 June 2022, and all statutory instruments up to and including the Health (Preservation and Protection and Other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Act 2020 (Continuation of Sections 4, 5 and 6 of Part 2) (No. 2) Order 2022 (S.I. No. 301 of 2022), made 21 June 2022, were considered in the preparation of this Revised Act.
Disclaimer: While every care has been taken in the preparation of this Revised Act, the Law Reform Commission can assume no responsibility for and give no guarantees, undertakings or warranties concerning the accuracy, completeness or up to date nature of the information provided and does not accept any liability whatsoever arising from any errors or omissions. Please notify any errors, omissions and comments by email to
revisedacts@lawreform.ie.
Number 1 of 2020
HEALTH (PRESERVATION AND PROTECTION AND OTHER EMERGENCY MEASURES IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST) ACT 2020
REVISED
Updated to 21 June 2022
CONTENTS
Preliminary and General
Section
1. Short title and construction
Amendments to Social Welfare Acts
4. Amendment of section 21 of Act of 2005
5. Amendment of section 40 of Act of 2005
6. Regulations in respect of persons to whom section 40(7) applies
7. Amendment of section 62 of Act of 2005
8. Amendment of section 141 of Act of 2005
Amendment to Health Act 1947
11. Detention and isolation of persons in certain circumstances
Number 1 of 2020
HEALTH (PRESERVATION AND PROTECTION AND OTHER EMERGENCY MEASURES IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST) ACT 2020
REVISED
Updated to 21 June 2022
An Act, to make exceptional provision, in the public interest and having regard to the manifest and grave risk to human life and public health posed by the spread of the disease known as Covid-19 and in order to mitigate, where practicable, the effect of the spread of the disease known as Covid-19, to amend the Health Act 1947 to confer a power on the Minister for Health to make regulations prohibiting or restricting the holding of certain events or access to certain premises and to provide for enforcement measures; to provide for powers for certain medical officers of health to order, in certain circumstances, the detention of persons who are suspected to be potential sources of infection with the disease known as Covid-19 and to provide for enforcement measures in that regard; and to confer on the Minister for Health the power to designate areas as areas of infection of Covid-19 and to provide for related matters; to amend and extend the Social Welfare Acts to provide for amendments in relation to entitlement to illness benefit for persons who have been diagnosed with, or are a probable source of infection with the disease known as Covid-19; and to provide for amendments in relation to jobseeker’s benefit and jobseeker’s allowance to mitigate the economic effects of the spread of the disease known as Covid-19; and to provide for related matters.
[20th March, 2020]
WHEREAS an emergency has arisen of such character that it is necessary for compelling reasons of public interest and for the common good that extraordinary measures should be taken to deal with the immediate, exceptional and manifest risk to human life and public health posed by the spread of the disease known as Covid-19;
AND WHEREAS the State is and its citizens are, in significant respects, highly exposed to the effect of the spread of the disease known as Covid-19; and having regard to the constitutional duty of the State to respect and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate the rights of citizens to life and to bodily integrity, it is necessary to introduce a range of extraordinary measures and safeguards to prevent, minimise, limit or slow the risk of persons being infected with the disease known as Covid-19;
AND WHEREAS as a consequence it is necessary for the State to take the measures in this Act to address the emergency and to defend and vindicate the rights of citizens to life and to bodily integrity;
Be it enacted by the Oireachtas as follows: