New Covid-19 regulations set out isolation powers

New Covid-19 regulations will allow Gibraltar’s authorities to detain anyone suspected of being a coronavirus infection risk.

The regulations, which were published on Friday, set out a number of restrictions and requirements which will be imposed on people in order to reduce the risk of further contaminations.

This includes that anyone diagnosed with Covid-19 or who has been advised by the GHA or the Director of Public Health to self-isolate must do so and cannot leave their homes other than for “absolutely essential” purposes.

The new regulations sit alongside the Government’s strategy to “seek and destroy” the virus through aggressive testing alongside moves to contain new cases and trace any contacts they may have had in the community.

Alongside the requirement to self-isolate, the regulations also allow the Government to detain any person for up to 96 hours if it has reason to believe the person may be infected and therefore could pose an infection risk to others.

This is to enable screening and assessment.

With regards to screening requirements the regulations state that a person must answer questions about their health, travel history and recent contacts and to submit to being examined by a medical professional and screened for the virus.

Additionally, and on application to the courts, the regulations allow a number of restrictions to be imposed on someone infected with coronavirus.

These include the disinfecting and decontamination of the person, a requirement that the person wear protective clothing and be monitored and the results reported on, that they attend training or advice sessions on how to reduce the risk of infecting or contaminating others and be subject to restrictions on where they go.

Any offences of the new regulations will be punishable by way of a fine.

These Regulations come into operation on May 22 and cease to have effect on June 21, 2020.