ⒾMachine translations by Deepl

Senate approves Corona Act, despite widespread criticism

Due to a large-scale amendment to the Public Health Act (Wpg), several corona measures are now permanently enshrined in law. While the social necessity, proportionality, effectiveness and impact of the measures in the context of the recent corona epidemic have not yet been evaluated.

Illustration reading: Covid-19

Unlike the House of Representatives, the Senate will not be able to block future measures under the Corona Act. In the event of the next epidemic, this will leave the Senate partially sidelined.

Moreover, the Corona Act has a new emergency power (art. 58d Wpg) that the minister more or less carte blanche gives. Under this emergency power, even a new curfew will not be ruled out, so appeared last week during a heated debate in the Senate. In October 2022, Privacy First had extensively asked the House of Representatives for this warned. We then also brought our views to the attention of all relevant Upper House members. Nevertheless, the Senate voted in favour of the Corona Act this week (just before the installation of the new, more critical Senate).

Privacy First reserves the right to challenge parts of the Corona Act in court.