Bachelor Program of Biotechnology and the Department of Law, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung City.
Med Leg J. 2021 Mar;89(1):19-22. doi: 10.1177/0025817220965381. Epub 2020 Nov 17.
At the early stage of an emerging disease, information is often insufficient for governments to determine what actions are necessary to contain its transmission. Taiwanese society was not prepared when the SARS epidemic hit in 2003. After the SARS epidemic, Taiwan began to overhaul its Communicable Disease Control Act authorising the government to act in a murky situation without the fear of violating due process. In hindsight, the new law has contributed a large part to the effective containment of Covid-19 in Taiwan. However, a new issue emerged concerning the conflict between an individual's freedom of confidential communication and the government's use of cell phone positioning to monitor self-quarantine. Although Taiwan's Council of Grand Justices previously resolved the concern over potential breaching of due-process, the legislature may have to strike a balance between public health emergency and the use of an electronic footprint to trace individual activities.
在新发疾病的早期阶段，信息通常不足以让政府确定需要采取哪些措施来控制其传播。2003 年 SARS 疫情爆发时，台湾社会毫无准备。SARS 疫情过后，台湾开始全面修订《传染病防治法》，授权政府在没有担心违反正当程序的情况下在模糊的情况下采取行动。事后看来，新法律在台湾有效控制新冠疫情方面发挥了重要作用。然而，一个新的问题出现了，涉及个人保密通信自由与政府利用手机定位监测自我隔离之间的冲突。尽管台湾大法官会议此前解决了对潜在违反正当程序的担忧，但立法机构可能不得不在公共卫生紧急情况和利用电子足迹追踪个人活动之间取得平衡。
