Emergency return to China understands that epidemic prevention violations cannot be tolerated
Author: Lin Zhijian
"The defendant Li Mou committed the crime of obstructing the prevention and control of infectious diseases and was sentenced to one year's imprisonment and one year's probation"-the verdict of this epidemic-related crime published on the Chinese Judgment Documents website has recently attracted great attention from domestic and foreign netizens.
Li Mou, as an imported case of new crown virus pneumonia, was notified by relevant domestic authorities in March last year. Before returning to China, he had developed fever and fatigue. In order to board the plane smoothly, he took anti-fever medicine to lower his body temperature. After boarding, he failed to declare fever as required. Waiting for uncomfortable symptoms, failing to answer relevant questions of the crew truthfully, resulting in more than 60 people being isolated for observation, and finally paying a heavy price for their behavior.
Judging from the information published by the China Judgment Document Network, this is probably the first case in which a returnee has been investigated for the crime of obstructing the prevention and control of infectious diseases since the outbreak of the new crown epidemic.
The author believes that the warning and educational significance of this case has at least three points:
First, when returning from abroad, you must also be held responsible for violations of the epidemic.
Li’s case showed us that not only will it be punished if it disturbs the order of epidemic prevention and obstructs the prevention and control of infectious diseases in the country, but it also fails to comply with the prevention and control measures proposed by the customs and civil aviation authorities when returning from abroad. It is also within the scope of my country's legal constraints and sanctions.
Second, violations of anti-epidemic laws and regulations are severely punished.
Since February last year, relevant departments of the State Council have successively issued the "Opinions on Punishment of Crimes Obstructing the Prevention and Control of the Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia Epidemic in accordance with the Law", and "Opinions on Further Strengthening the Frontier Health and Quarantine Work to Punish the Crimes Obstructing the Frontier Health and Quarantine in accordance with the law." It clearly requires that illegal acts that hinder the prevention and control of the epidemic or hinder the frontier health and quarantine shall be severely punished in accordance with the law.
Li's case was finally treated as a criminal offence. Not only did she face a one-year prison sentence, she would also have a life-long criminal record.
Third, it is an obligation to cooperate with epidemic prevention and control.
The judgment of the trial court of the case was eloquent, complying with relevant regulations on epidemic prevention and control, truthfully filling out the health declaration card, and cooperating with epidemic prevention personnel are the "duty" of every citizen in this special period of epidemic prevention and control.
Although Li Mou truthfully filled out the entry health declaration card and informed the crew of his illness before the plane landed, the above actions could not reduce his legal responsibility.
Objectively speaking, Li's case is a more extreme case, but cases with different circumstances and the same bad nature still occur.
Since September last year, Chinese embassies and consulates abroad have successively exposed more than ten cases of violations involving the epidemic.
In the Philippines, the United States, Russia, Austria, Spain, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates and many other countries, there have been cases in which returnees tampered with nucleic acid test reports to defraud “health codes” to board the plane, and were diagnosed as cases of new coronary pneumonia after returning home.
The behavior of the above-mentioned personnel deviated from social morality and exceeded the bottom line of the law, seriously disrupting the order of epidemic prevention and control, and implied a major risk of spreading the epidemic.
Since November last year, Chinese passengers arriving in China on flights from foreign countries are required to apply for a green health code with the "HS" logo at the Chinese embassies and consulates with a double-negative test certificate for COVID-19 nucleic acid and serum IgM antibodies.
This international version of the "Health Code" for epidemic prevention is a powerful weapon to reduce the cross-border spread of the new crown pneumonia epidemic. It is an important measure to prevent overseas epidemics from entering our country. The premise and guarantee for the orderly development of economic and trade exchanges.
To conceal the condition and deceive the "health code" is not allowed because of emotion, reason and law are not allowed.
Facts since the outbreak of the new crown epidemic show that the vast majority of people returning from abroad can strictly abide by the epidemic prevention and control regulations.
Their self-discipline is not only a law-abiding move, but also their sense of responsibility to care for others and avoid the cross-border spread of the epidemic.
"Non-essential, non-emergency, and no travel" is a government initiative, and it is also a need for epidemic prevention.
Those who are indeed necessary and urgently need to return to the country should not be lucky, lie about information, conceal their illness, and cause "smartness to be mistaken".