(LRC Revised)

Number 1 of 2020

HEALTH (PRESERVATION AND PROTECTION AND OTHER EMERGENCY MEASURES IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST) ACT 2020

REVISED

Updated to 21 June 2022

Changes to legislation

as of 10 July 2026, this Act is up to date with all changes known to be in force.

This Revised Act is an

administrative consolidation of the

Health (Preservation and Protection and other

Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Act 2020

. It is prepared by the Law

Reform Commission in accordance with its function under the

Law Reform Commission Act

1975

(3/1975) to keep the law under review and to undertake revision and

consolidation of statute law.

All Acts up to and including the

Garda Síochána (Amendment)

Act 2022

(10/2022), enacted 17 June 2022, and all statutory instruments up to and

including the

Health (Preservation and Protection and Other Emergency Measures in the

Public Interest) Act 2020 (Continuation of Sections 4, 5 and 6 of Part 2) (No. 2)

Order 2022

(S.I. No. 301 of 2022), made 21 June 2022, were considered in the

preparation of this Revised Act.

Disclaimer: While every care has been taken in the preparation of this Revised Act,

the Law Reform Commission can assume no responsibility for and give no guarantees,

undertakings or warranties concerning the accuracy, completeness or up to date nature

of the information provided and does not accept any liability whatsoever arising from

any errors or omissions. Please notify any errors, omissions and comments by email

to

revisedacts@lawreform.ie.

Number

1

of

2020

HEALTH (PRESERVATION AND PROTECTION AND OTHER EMERGENCY MEASURES IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST)

ACT 2020

REVISED

Updated to 21 June 2022

CONTENTS

PART 1

Preliminary and General

Section

1. Short title and construction

2. Commencement and operation

PART 2

Amendments to Social Welfare Acts

3. Definition

4. Amendment of section 21 of Act of 2005

5. Amendment of section 40 of Act of 2005

6. Regulations in respect of persons to whom section 40(7) applies

7. Amendment of section 62 of Act of 2005

8. Amendment of section 141 of Act of 2005

PART 3

Amendment to Health Act 1947

9. Definition

10. Amendment of Act of 1947

11. Detention and isolation of persons in certain circumstances

Acts Referred to

Customs Act 2015

(No. 18)

Health Act 1947

(No. 28)

Social Welfare Acts

Social Welfare Consolidation Act

2005

(No. 26)

Number

1

of

2020

HEALTH (PRESERVATION AND PROTECTION AND OTHER EMERGENCY MEASURES IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST)

ACT 2020

REVISED

Updated to 21 June 2022

An Act, to make exceptional

provision, in the public interest and having regard to the manifest and grave risk

to human

life and public health posed by the spread of the disease known as Covid-19 and in

order to

mitigate, where practicable, the effect of the spread of the disease known as Covid-19,

to

amend the

Health

Act 1947

to confer a power on the Minister for Health to make regulations

prohibiting or restricting the holding of certain events or access to certain premises

and

to provide for enforcement measures; to provide for powers for certain medical officers

of

health to order, in certain circumstances, the detention of persons who are suspected

to be

potential sources of infection with the disease known as Covid-19 and to provide for

enforcement measures in that regard; and to confer on the Minister for Health the

power to

designate areas as areas of infection of Covid-19 and to provide for related matters;

to

amend and extend the Social Welfare Acts to provide for amendments in relation to

entitlement to illness benefit for persons who have been diagnosed with, or are a

probable

source of infection with the disease known as Covid-19; and to provide for amendments

in

relation to jobseeker’s benefit and jobseeker’s allowance to mitigate the

economic effects of the spread of the disease known as Covid-19; and to provide for

related

matters.

[20

th

March

, 2020]

WHEREAS an emergency has arisen of

such character that it is necessary for compelling reasons of public interest and

for the

common good that extraordinary measures should be taken to deal with the immediate,

exceptional and manifest risk to human life and public health posed by the spread

of the

disease known as Covid-19;

AND WHEREAS the State is and its

citizens are, in significant respects, highly exposed to the effect of the spread

of the

disease known as Covid-19; and having regard to the constitutional duty of the State

to

respect and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate the rights

of

citizens to life and to bodily integrity, it is necessary to introduce a range of

extraordinary measures and safeguards to prevent, minimise, limit or slow the risk

of

persons being infected with the disease known as Covid-19;

AND WHEREAS as a consequence it is

necessary for the State to take the measures in this Act to address the emergency

and to

defend and vindicate the rights of citizens to life and to bodily integrity;

Be it enacted by the Oireachtas

as follows

CONTENTS

PART 1

Preliminary and General

Section

1. Short title and construction

2. Commencement and operation

PART 2

Amendments to Social Welfare Acts

3. Definition

4. Amendment of section 21 of Act of 2005

5. Amendment of section 40 of Act of 2005

6. Regulations in respect of persons to whom section 40(7) applies

7. Amendment of section 62 of Act of 2005

8. Amendment of section 141 of Act of 2005

PART 3

Amendment to Health Act 1947

9. Definition

10. Amendment of Act of 1947

11. Detention and isolation of persons in certain circumstances

Number

1

of

2020