Need for a Comprehensive Legislation to Fight Covid- 19 Pandemic - An Analysis

Abstract

The Indian response to the COVID-19 pandemic is governed by a complex web of statutes distributed between the central and state levels. The primary legislation, the Epidemic Diseases Act, grants the central government powers for pandemic control. Additionally, the Disaster Management Act has been invoked, declaring COVID-19 a disaster and expanding the scope of government actions. At the state level, various legislations empower state governments and officials to manage communicable diseases. These laws encompass a range of restrictive measures, including vehicle inspections, compulsory removal of exposed individuals to health facilities, mandatory treatment, travel restrictions, and border sealing, with penalties, including fines and imprisonment for non-compliance.