This order comes into force on 11 March 2020. It amends the Health Act 1956 by—

• adding COVID-19 to the list of infectious diseases notifiable to a medical officer of health in Section B of Part 1 of Schedule 1 of that Act; and

• adding both COVID-19 and novel coronavirus capable of causing severe respiratory illness to the list of quarantinable infectious diseases in Part 3 of Schedule 1 of that Act.

COVID-19 is an infectious agent causing flu-like symptoms that first came to official notice in Wuhan, China in December 2019. On 30 January 2020, novel coronavirus capable of causing severe respiratory illness was added to the list of infectious diseases notifiable to a medical officer of health in Section B of Part 1 of Schedule 1 of the Health Act 1956 by the Infectious and Notifiable Diseases Order 2020. Since then, that outbreak of novel coronavirus has been named COVID-19.

The consequence of this order is that COVID-19 and novel coronavirus capable of causing severe respiratory illness are both separately listed as infectious diseases notifiable to a medical officer of health, as well as quarantinable infectious diseases.