Non-observance of measures for preventing or combating epidemic diseases to be punished under Criminal Code in Moldova

Chisinau, 12 March /MOLDPRES/ - The parliament, at a today’s plenary meeting, adopted a draft on the amendment of legislative acts, the final goal of which is to strengthen the measures of prophylaxis, prevention and combating of the epidemic diseases.    

The draft law regards the changing of the Criminal Code, so that the non-observance of the measures of prevention and combating of the epidemic diseases, if this has triggered the spread of such a disease, will be punished with fine worth from 720 to 1,000 conventional units or imprisonment up to 3 years. The same deeds which result, out of imprudence, in the serious or medium harming of the health condition or death of a person is punished with imprisonment up to 7 years.    

The draft law also stipulates completion of the Contravention Code with a new article. It sees sanctioning for the non-observance of the measures of prophylaxis, prevention and combating of the epidemic diseases, if this led to a danger of residents’ contamination. The fine will be worth from 450 to 500 conventional units for private person and from 1,000 to 1,500 conventional units applied for legal entity.    

The amendments proposed to the law on the state supervision of the public health imply the limiting of the holding of meetings or national or local events and namely – of those organized in advance, of special importance for the community, including concerts, shows, fairs, conferences, as well as other similar meetings. The decision to limit the right to the freedom of meetings is to be taken by the government, based on recommendations by the competent ministry. The number of people from which the cabinet decides suspension of meetings is to be established in each case separately, depending on the circumstances specific to the public emergency state.     

Other amendments regard the possibility of processing personal data by medical employees, medical and sanitary institutions and their medical staff, representatives of the state bodies, which are entrusted with the task to ensure public security, if the goal pursued is to ensure the reducing of the risk of outburst or management of the public health emergency state, if it started.  

The draft law was worked out by the government. The authors justify the opportuneness of this draft by the fact that, in the circumstances emerged in the world, the new type of Coronavirus (COVID-19) represents a major problem for the public health and the strengthening, under law, of the prophylaxis measures is imperative for Moldova.