Browsing Posts tagged H1N1
On April 28, 2009, the Massachusetts state senate passed [pdf] the pandemic response bill, which will allow the authorities to quarantine citizens in a health emergency, force vaccinations, and permit forceful entry into private homes. The bill also provides for fines for noncompliance as well as not being liable for destruction of a citizens’ property.
Refusal to comply not only gets you a fine ($1000 per day for each day you continue to violate the law), you will be quarantined if the authorities deem the situation an emergency and throw you in jail for up to 30 days.
State and local agencies responding to the public health emergency would be required to exercise their powers over transportation routes, communication devices, carriers, public utilities, fuels, food, clothing and shelter, according to the legislation.
Local public health authorities will be required to keep records of reports containing the name and location of all people who have been reported, their disease, injury, or health condition and the name of the person reporting the case. In addition, citizens may be subject to “involuntary transportation.”
Line 341 of the bill states, “Law enforcement authorities, upon order of the commissioner or his agent or at the request of a local public health authority pursuant to such order, shall assist emergency medical technicians or other appropriate medical personnel in the involuntary transportation of such person to the tuberculosis treatment center. No law enforcement authority or medical personnel shall be held criminally or civilly liable as a result of an act or omission carried out in good faith in reliance on said order.”
Iowa already has a form [pdf] informing you that you’ve been in contact with someone with H1N1 and you must relocate. Florida, Washington, and North Carolina also have similar plans already in place.
