Quarantine should not be used as punishment or detention - BASL

The quarantine process, which is a health measure, should not be used as a means of punishment or detention, the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) says.

In a letter to the Director-General of Health Services and the Inspector General of Police, the BASL said that health guidelines should not be allowed to adversely affect freedom of protest.

The quarantine process applies only to those who have contracted or are suspected of having contracted the disease, and that it is illegal to forcibly detain people released on bail at quarantine centers, the BASL points out.

BASL further points out that, the notice issued by the police only forbids mass protests and not meetings and protests carried out while adhering to the health guidelines.

Such arrests and forcible detentions by the police will have a detrimental effect on the efforts to suppress COVID-19, BASL added.

BASL, in their letter, has requested the IGP and the Director-General of Health Services to instruct the police to refrain from such arrests and detentions and to ensure that the Health Regulations and Guidelines are used only for the purpose of preventing the spread of COVID-19.