Egypt Parliament presents bill to amend law on health precautions and control infectious diseases

Mohamed Al-Amari, head of the Egyptian Parliament’s Health Affairs Committee, and over a dozen of MPs have submitted a bill to amend the law on health precautions to control and prevent infectious diseases.

The bill included regulations to prevent the spread of infections and respecting the dignity of the deceased, as well as preserving religious and social constants.

The draft law introduced a punitive text to criminalise any actions that hinder, delay or prevent the burial of the dead or any of the burial rites in violation of the rules and procedures determined by the minister of health.

The amendments aim to take the necessary health measures to deal with the bodies of victims, including the burial that shall be carried out under the supervision of health professionals.

The proposed legislation also included a punitive text that punishes with a fine anyone who violates the obligation imposed by this draft law on individuals to use medical masks and other protective supplies outside their places of residence, according to the rules and procedures determined by the minister of health.

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The draft law stipulates that he or she shall be punished with imprisonment and a fine of no less than 5,000 Egyptian pounds and not exceeding 10,000 Egyptian pounds, whoever impedes, interrupts or prevents burial of the dead or any of the burial rites in violation of the rules and procedures determined by the minister of health in accordance with the provision of Article 23 of this law.

The penalty shall be doubled in case the violation takes place a second time, or if any of the actions mentioned in the previous section are combined with the use of violence or force. Thus, a fine of no less than 300 Egyptian pounds and not exceeding 5,000 Egyptian pounds shall be imposed on anyone who violates the provision of Article 20 of this law.

These amendments are intended to increase the severity of the penalties prescribed for violating any of the provisions stipulated by this law, and to give health authorities the right to compel individuals to use medical masks and other protective supplies outside their places of residence, if the minister of health determines the necessity of this measures to prevent the spread of infection.