The World Council for Health (WCH) is unequivocally opposed to the use of isolation and detention camps and any current or future forcible detentions associated with SARS-CoV-2 viral status or Covid-19.
The process of forcibly relocating and detaining people against their will is a clear violation of human rights, including but not limited to discrimination, inhumane treatment, unfair detainment, and no freedom of movement. Regardless of the willingness to participate on behalf of the individual, this unprecedented strategy is not backed by evidence as a mitigation tactic and therefore should not be used.
WCH believes that the money spent by local and national governments to construct these facilities would have a much greater impact if it were spent on positive health education and providing life-saving early treatment to those that fall ill.
WCH cautions against the use of any strategy that creates further division in societies around the world. The practice of removing and restricting certain portions of a population will only lead to greater discrimination and division.
World Council for Health believes it is safer for individuals to quarantine at home if and when necessary, where they can rely on their personal support networks and access early treatment tools when they are ill. World Council for Health calls for an immediate halt to the use and construction of these unnecessary camps and centers.
In the words of Nelson Mandela, “To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”
