Including people with disability in the COVID-19 outbreak emergency preparedness and response in China

Abstract

With the outbreak of the COVID-19, China had to declare a public health emergency within a short time. In order to control and prevent further spread of the disease, China activated the highest emergency response level and has been implementing many draconian measures based on the Law on Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases (LPTID). However, the LPTID lacks a disability perspective and overlooks the needs of people with disabilities during emergencies to a large extent. Combining the law and disability perspectives, this article analyzes different Articles of the LPTID and points out its inadequacies regarding the emergency preparedness and response plans in the midst of a major public health crisis. Besides, the experiences of some people with disabilities being affected are shared in the article. This article calls for nations to ensure amendments of their legal frameworks regarding public health and emergency preparedness fully engage a rights-based disability perspective.