The Senate at its plenary session of Wednesday, 17 February 2021, passed for second reading the Quarantine Act (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill, 2021 and referred it to its Committee on Primary Healthcare and Communicable Diseases for further legislative action.

Leading the debate on the Bill, Sen. Chukwuka Utazi (PDP: Enugu), informed lawmakers that the

primary objective of the Bill is to repeal the Quarantine Act, 2004, and establish a comprehensive legal and administrative framework for handling outbreaks of infectious and contagious diseases that portends major threat to public health safety within Nigeria or are likely to be transmitted into Nigeria or outside the borders, if no emergency health measures are put in place by appropriate authorities to control spread or infection rate.

Sen Utazi noted the highlights of the Bill to include:

• Provision of a legal and institutional framework for imposition and implementation of mandatory self-isolation and quarantine of infected persons, introduction of movement restrictions, and adoption of appropriate safety and welfare measures at or during the outbreak of dangerous contagious diseases.
• Provision of statutory powers to the President and in appropriate circumstances, the Governor, to declare any place or area “an infected area” and accordingly issue appropriate regulations or directives to prevent the spread of such infections in Nigeria, and the transmission from Nigeria to any other part of the world.
• Provision of funds and accountability mechanisms for containment measures introduced following the outbreak or during disease, epidemics and pandemics.
• Prescribing offences and appropriate punishments for violations and contraventions associated with the control and management of dangerous contagious disease, epidemics or pandemics.

According to Sen. Utazi, the Quarantine Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria(LFN) 2004, which was enacted in 1926, is deficient in the aspect of enforcing quarantine and self-isolation of infected persons at or during the outbreak of dangerous contagious disease, epidemics or pandemics in the country. He also explained that the Bill, if passed, will effectively address these gaps and put in place a legislation that is up to date with modern realities regarding diseases, epidemics or pandemics by expanding the scope and interpretation of dangerous infectious diseases beyond what is contained in the Quarantine Act.

The Bill is made up of 72 clauses which are subdivided into 8 parts.