In forceAmended2020 Revised Edition

Contents

Infectious Diseases Act 1976 · 2020 Revised Edition · Part 3 · Control of Infectious Diseases Within Singapore

17. Isolation area

Amended

Last amended by an amending law of 2024. 3 amendments in all.

(1)

The Director-General of Health may, for the purpose of preventing the spread or possible outbreak of an infectious disease, declare any premises to be an isolation area for a period not exceeding 90 days.

(2)

The Director-General of Health may, from time to time, extend the period mentioned in subsection (1) for a period not exceeding 90 days at any one time, and this period must be specified in a notice published in the same manner as the notice of the declaration made under subsection (1).

(2A)

The Director-General of Health must cause to be published a notice of the declaration made under subsection (1) and any extension made under subsection (2) in a manner that he or she thinks necessary for bringing it to the notice of all persons who in his or her opinion ought to have notice of the declaration.

(2B)

A declaration made under subsection (1) or any extension made under subsection (2) has effect —

(a)

as soon as notice is given in accordance with subsection (2A); and

(b)

until the expiry of the period specified in the declaration or extension, or until that declaration or extension is revoked by the Director-General of Health, whichever occurs first.

(3)

The Director-General of Health may, in relation to an isolation area, by order —

(a)

prohibit any person or class of persons from entering or leaving the isolation area without the permission of the Director-General of Health;

(b)

prohibit or restrict the movement within the isolation area of any person or class of persons;

(c)

prohibit or restrict the movement of goods;

(d)

require any person or class of persons to report at specified times and places and submit to such medical examinations, answer such questions and submit to such medical treatment as the Director-General of Health thinks fit;

(e)

authorise the destruction, disposal or treatment of any goods, structure, water supply, drainage and sewerage system or other matter within the isolation area known or suspected to be a source of infection; and

(f)

prohibit, restrict, require or authorise the carrying out of any other act that may be prescribed.

(4)

A Health Officer or a police officer may take any action that is necessary to give effect to an order under subsection (3).

(5)

Any person to whom an order under subsection (3) applies who, without reasonable excuse, contravenes the order shall be guilty of an offence.

(6)

A person (including a person in a class of persons) who leaves or attempts to leave or is suspected of having left an isolation area in contravention of an order under subsection (3) may be arrested without warrant by any police officer, or by any Health Officer appointed under section 4(1)(a), (b) or (e) and authorised in writing by the appropriate Minister.

(7)

Without affecting any of the orders which the Director-General of Health may make under this Act, the Director-General of Health may issue an order under section 15 against a person who is arrested under subsection (6) as if the person were a person referred to in that section.

(8)

Goods brought into or removed from an isolation area in contravention of an order under subsection (3) must be forfeited to the Government and may be seized, dealt with and disposed of in accordance with section 55(2) and (3) as if those goods were any substance or matter referred to in section 55(1)(c).

Terms defined in s 2

appropriate Minister
Defined · s 2
“appropriate Minister” means —(a)in the following cases, the Minister charged with the responsibility for health and sanitary measures in relation to vessels, aircraft, vehicles and persons entering or leaving Singapore:(i)the establishment of any advisory committee under section 5 for the purpose of giving advice to the Director‑General or the Director‑General, Food Administration;(ii)any purpose relating to sections 28, 29 and 33 to 45, including the making of subsidiary legislation in relation to any of those sections; or(b)in any other case, the Minister charged with the responsibility for regulation of diseases and disease control;
Open s 2
Director-General
Defined · s 2
“Director-General” means the Director‑General of Public Health appointed under section 3(1) of the Environmental Public Health Act 1987;
Open s 2
Health Officer
Defined · s 2
“Health Officer” means a Health Officer appointed by the Director‑General, the Director‑General, Food Administration or the Director under section 4;
Open s 2
infectious disease
Defined · s 2
“infectious disease” means —(a)any of the diseases specified in the First Schedule; and(b)for the purposes of sections 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 17A, 19, 55, 57A and 59A, includes any other disease —(i)that is caused or is suspected to be caused by a micro‑organism or any agent of disease;(ii)that is capable or is suspected to be capable of transmission by any means to human beings; and(iii)that, the Director has reason to believe, if left uninvestigated or unchecked, is likely to result in an epidemic of the disease;
Open s 2
isolation
Defined · s 2
“isolation”, in relation to a person or group of persons, means the separation of that person or group of persons from any other persons, other than —(a)the health staff in charge of the care and isolation of that person or group of persons; and(b)such other persons as the Director or the Director‑General (as the case may be) may allow;
Open s 2
premises
Defined · s 2
“premises” means messuages, buildings, lands, easements and hereditaments of any tenure whether open or enclosed, whether public or private and whether maintained or not under statutory authority, and includes any place or structure or any part thereof used or intended to be used for human habitation or for employment or any other purpose;
Open s 2