MAKING THE PUBLIC HEALTH MANDATE WORK: COVID-19 AND THE CHALLENGES REVEALED IN THE UK

Any mandate to protect the health of the public is inherently moral. It creates a clear obligation for the state to provide the necessary care for the well-being of all members of society. The collective benefit trumps individual choice. Where such a mandate exists, there is also power to do whatever is necessary to achieve the aims of the mandate. The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought these tensions within public health to the fore. The UK government has acquired unprecedented powers to manage the pandemic under the Coronavirus Act 2020. This paper examines this legislation and evaluates the system failures and successes that have been revealed by the pandemic.