Limiting Human Rights in the Face of Pandemics? Examining this Question through the Covid-19 Prism

Abstract

Pandemics such as COVID-19 are dreaded occurrences that often put human rights at peril since it threatens the existence of the humanity. Stemming them usually require urgent response that could jeopardize the protection and promotion of human rights. While pandemics have direct impact on the right to health and right to life, their management could equally result to unlawful violation of other human rights if not well thought out. The purpose of this paper is to examine how Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) affects human rights and freedoms around the globe and the extent to which states restrict these rights under Human Rights Law. The finding reveals that balancing the pendulum between curbing the spread of COVID-19 and respecting human rights is an uphill task. However, minimizing political overtones in the efforts while prioritizing legal foundations could enhance the management.