Law and its impact on COVID-19

Author: Ziyad Broker

Efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 are well publicised and global. Singapore, in particular, has gained a lot of praise for the manner in which it has dealt with the virus, amidst an outbreak that has shaken the world.

Their “track and trace” approach has been lauded worldwide, with other laws created and properly implemented in an attempt to effectively and efficiently deal with the virus.

Examples of this include Singapore’s comparatively early decision to quarantine foreign arrivals, as well as having harsh punishments for those who violate the rules which are in place to protect the island.

Those quarantined at home are checked upon regularly, with text messages from the government sent several times a day along with a required check-in to confirm their location.

On the other hand, Hong Kong has taken different preventative measures, implementing various laws which focus on protecting its residents, rather than closely monitoring those quarantined.

It was one of the first places to close schools and encourage working from home, both of which are measures that have reduced contact between people and therefore, punctured the normally exponential growth in cases that COVID-19 brings with it. Despite bordering China, cases between the two countries combined are at a number less than 2,000 (at the time of writing). This is likely due to the quick passing and implementation of various laws that have stunted the growth of the virus.

From a legal perspective, the virus has shown us that laws are flexible and can be vital in times of struggle. We have also learned that efficiency with regards to the passing and implementation of them is not only realistic but also essential.

Furthermore, times like these have called for the use of the online resources that we have at our disposal. In this regard, the emergence of Zoom has been particularly notable. Having been placed under intense scrutiny in recent times, it was discovered that the company was having security issues.

The virus has, therefore, also prompted those in the legal sphere to focus on a number of issues regarding technology, which includes the privacy rights of users on the internet.

Overall, the law has had a massive impact on the containment of the virus, as well as many other issues which are now being focused upon, but specifically with regards to privacy in relation to social media and various other platforms.