G.O. SODIPO AND CO.
NEWSLETTER
May, 2020 Edition
The Control of Infectious Diseases Bill which recently scaled the second reading at the House of Representatives is intended to repeal the National Quarantine Act, 2004. The Bill has 82 sections and 6 parts, covering every aspect you can think of; Administration, Control of Infectious diseases, Prevention of spread, Vaccination, Enforcement, and Miscellaneous. It seeks to strengthen the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and empower the minister of health and director-general (DG) of the NCDC.
With the current pandemic (COVID-19), having an Infectious Disease Act will no doubt help the government curb infectious outbreaks, by providing a legal framework through which it can be managed. However, the bill is quite ambiguous and a lot of provisions are discretionary. It restricts the fundamental rights of the people and empowers the DG without any checks and balances.
The bill starts off with certain measures that could help stop the spread of infectious diseases.