Suspected COVID-19 Case Escapes Quarantine Area: Legal Consequences

At Section 1 of Official Dispatch 45/TANDTC-PC 2020 on adjudicating crimes related to Covid-19 prevention and control, it is stipulated:

Those who have been notified of having the disease; those suspected of having the disease or returning from a Covid-19 epidemic area who have been notified of quarantine and perform one of the following acts causing the transmission of Covid-19 to others shall be considered as cases of performing "other acts causing the spread of dangerous diseases" as stipulated in point c, clause 1, Article 240, and shall be prosecuted for the crime of spreading infectious diseases to others:

- Escaping from quarantine;

- Non-compliance with quarantine regulations;

- Refusing, avoiding quarantine measures, or compulsory quarantine;

- Failing to declare health status, incomplete declaration or making false declarations.

=> Accordingly, under the above provisions, those who have been notified of having the disease; those suspected of having the disease or returning from the Covid-19 epidemic area and escaping from quarantine, causing the transmission of Covid-19 to others, will be criminally prosecuted under Point c, Clause 1, Article 240 of the Penal Code 2015 for "The crime of spreading dangerous infectious diseases to others".

The editorial board responds to the information.