Restricting Civil Rights and Freedoms in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Poland
Restricting Civil Rights and Freedoms in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Poland

Summary/Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic forced most countries to use new or previously not applied state management instruments to protect public health, safety, and order. Modern technology allowed the continuity of essential state functions and tasks, and the introduction of emergency precautions in the form of lockdowns was intended to minimise the risk of the coronavirus spread. It was assumed that the solutions introduced would be temporary and that once the threat subsided, the previous order would be restored. This approach to combating the global pandemic was important from the point of view of citizens, who in most countries accepted the emergency regulations introduced, even though many of their freedoms and rights were significantly curtailed. Human rights may indeed be restricted in special circumstances, but only under and within the limits of the existing law. The purpose of this paper is to show how Poland restricted civil rights and freedoms during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as answer the question of whether those restrictions were in accordance with the requirements of legality, necessity, and proportionality.

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