This blog post is part of our Frequently Asked Legal Questions series.
In response to the outbreak of a novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China has escalated measures to control the spread of the deadly virus, including locking down Wuhan and other cities in the province starting January 23, 2020.
This followed an announcement issued by China’s National Health Commission (NHC) on January 20, 2020, declaring that the novel coronavirus-caused pneumonia is a Class B statutory infectious disease to be treated with control measures applicable to Class A diseases.
1. What is the law governing the classification of infectious diseases and their respective control measures?
The PRC Law on the Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases (Infectious Diseases Law) governs the prevention and control of infectious diseases, including in epidemic situations. First enacted in 1989, the Law was significantly revised in August 2004, after the outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2002–2003, and last amended in 2013.
The Infectious Diseases Law governs thirty-seven infectious diseases that are already known, i.e. the statutory infectious diseases. They are classified into three classes requiring the implementation of different preventive and control measures. There are only two diseases under Class A: bubonic plague