Refusing coronavirus quarantine could land you in hot water
Legal expert Ulrich Roux has warned that government has a legal right to force any person who has tested positive for coronavirus into quarantine.
The Gauteng Department of Health was this week forced to obtain a court order against a family who refused to be quarantined after testing positive for coronavirus.
Roux says the declaration of a state of disaster by President Cyril Ramaphosa provides authorities with clear guidelines in dealing with coronavirus patients.
Those who refuse to comply could find themselves in contempt of court.
“People who are not willing to submit themselves for quarantine can be in contempt of court and face serious consequences for refusing to be put in quarantine, which might be considered to be putting the lives of society at risk and could also result in the death of a person,” says Roux.
Roux warns there are serious consequences for anyone who breaches the guidelines.
“If someone is held in contempt of court order can be held in custody for a period of 60 days and if they do not fix the contempt they could face even longer.”