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A Comparative Study of Socio-Legal Scenarios in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Focusing on Asian Responses

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2022

Kunihiko Yoshida
Kunihiko Yoshida*
Affiliation:
Hokkaido University, Sapporo
*
E-mail: kymtyoshida@gmail.com
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Abstract

This article first distinguishes three governance scenarios that have been enacted in the COVID-19 pandemic, including identification and control; herd immunity without policy adjustments; and periodic lockdowns and hasty opening. In suggesting how different governments’ strategies were taxonomized into these categories, the paper examines major socio-legal challenges, including variations in social structures and government responsibilities; differences in public health cultures and legal policy options available to governments; unequal distribution of health and social welfare benefits; and public concerns of government overreach in relation to privacy of the infected and the preservation of individual liberty and freedom. Finally, the paper offers critical recommendations in the interest of ensuring a robust social-legal framework for providing adequate medical care to the infected; improving public health for vulnerable groups; ensuring that less privileged countries have access to vaccines; and designing post-disaster reconstruction by seeking global health objectives, rather than state-centric national justice.

Keywords

COVID-19COVAXvaccinationWHOJapanAsiaglobal justice
Type
Research Article
Information
Asian Journal of Law and Society , Volume 10 , Issue 1 , February 2023 , pp. 57 - 69
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Asian Journal of Law and Society

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