AFP
Sunday, May 3, 2009
MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — Regional governments can invoke “draconian” powers if the swine flu virus reaches a worst-case scenario, from monitoring people in their own homes to seizing control of entire economies.
The SARS and bird flu scares of recent years have led many countries to develop pandemic action plans which involve sweeping powers aimed at containing the spread of disease among their populations.
Before discovering the first case, Hong Kong had signalled its preparedness to close down all schools and converted a holiday camp into a quarantine centre where possible sufferers will be sent in a bid to contain any mass outbreak.
Meanwhile Australia has also approved the isolation of suspected sufferers against their will.
The new powers have not yet been used and Health Minister Nicola Roxon stressed that they were only precautionary, but they still remain an option if needed.
(ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW)
“We want to make sure that all the powers are there, that we are ready to act if this takes a dramatic turn for the worse,” she said this week.
Australia’s pandemic action plan, a draft of which is publicly available on the Internet, reveals the government potentially has recourse to even more extreme measures should the threat escalate.
The plan, which was updated in April, allows for “extraordinary measures” including the power to manage the supply of goods and services, giving it effective control over the economy.
Roxon was unable to detail what punitive measures could be taken against people who disobey government directives but the plan talks of maintaining public trust “through visible and effective security and law enforcement”.
In Singapore, changes made to the Infectious Diseases Act during the 2003 SARS outbreak allow officials to order suspected sufferers to stay at home or face a potential jail term.
Health authorities can install an electronic camera in the home of someone under quarantine and order them at random intervals to show their presence.
Failure to comply can attract a six month prison sentence for a first offence, rising to 12 months for a second.
Loading ...
