COVID-19, Public Authority and Enforcement

The securitization of health is not a new phenomenon. However, global responses to the 2014–2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa reveal the extent to which epidemic preparedness and response is now shaped by geopolitical concerns. UN Security Council Resolution 2177 epitomizes this. The resolution asserted that “the outbreak is undermining the stability of the most affected countries … [and] the Ebola outbreak in Africa constitutes a threat to international peace and security” (UN 2014: 1). The resolution paved the way for a militarized approach to treatment and containment, one not motivated primarily by the health needs of the affected population but rather by the potential political and social consequences of their health crises for others. It provided justification for forms of public authority to impose quarantine and enforced containment on a large scale.