Fine for breaching public health laws

Due to the Minister of Health's decision on public health measures in accordance with the Public Health Act No. 19/1997, which are a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Director of Public Prosecutions has issued instructions to all police commissioners in the country regarding breaches of the Minister of Health's regulations concerning the ban on gatherings, the closure of venues and businesses, as well as the isolation of infected individuals and quarantine.

As stated in the Director of Public Prosecutions„ notice on the matter, the instructions were prepared with reference, among other things, to how the Director of Public Prosecutions“ offices in the Nordic countries have responded to the situation created by COVID-19. Furthermore, the notice states: "As a general principle, the Director of Public Prosecutions' instructions are based on the imposition of fines for breaches of the Infectious Diseases Act and regulations made under it. The amount of the fines will depend on the severity of the offence. Sigríður J. Friðjónsdóttir, the Director of Public Prosecutions, says it is very important that it is made perfectly clear what measures the police can take if decisions by the Minister of Health on public health measures are breached. So far, notifications to the police regarding breaches of public public health measures have been few, which is a sign of the consensus in society regarding the significance and importance of these measures."

• Prosecutor General's Notice of Fines for Breaches of the COVID-19 Public Health Laws
• Director of Public Prosecutions' Guidance, issued 27 March 2020
• Rules on quarantine and isolation for COVID-19

_{Photo: Haraldur Jónasson / Hari}