Is the COVID-19 epidemic a natural disaster?

Legal Analysis: Influenza virus and COVID-19 are both natural disasters. Although there were some human factors in the spread of COVID-19 and the outbreak of influenza A abroad, the initial stage of the virus was not obviously suppressed, which led to the expansion of the disaster. When infectious diseases break out and are prevalent, the local people's governments at or above the county level shall immediately organize forces to implement prevention and control according to the prevention and control plan and cut off the transmission route of infectious diseases.

Legal basis: Article 42 of the Law of People's Republic of China (PRC) on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases stipulates that when an infectious disease breaks out or becomes prevalent, the local people's government at or above the county level shall immediately organize forces to prevent and control it according to the prevention and control plan and cut off the transmission route of the infectious disease. When necessary, the following emergency measures can be taken and announced after being reported to the people's government at the next higher level: (1) restricting or stopping fairs, theaters and other activities where people gather; (2) suspension of work, business or classes; (three) closed or sealed public drinking water sources, food and related items contaminated by infectious disease pathogens; (4) controlling or culling wild animals, domestic animals and poultry infected with the epidemic; (five) closed places that may cause the spread of infectious diseases. When the people's government at a higher level receives the report of the people's government at a lower level on taking the emergency measures listed in the preceding paragraph, it shall make a decision immediately. The lifting of emergency measures shall be decided and announced by the original decision-making organ.

Article 43 When Class A and Class B infectious diseases break out and become epidemic, the local people's governments at or above the county level may, upon the decision of the people's government at the next higher level, declare part or all of their administrative areas as epidemic areas; The State Council can decide and publish epidemic areas across provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government. The local people's governments at or above the county level in the epidemic area may take emergency measures as stipulated in Article 42 of this Law, and may carry out health quarantine on people, materials and means of transport entering or leaving the epidemic area. The people's governments of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government may decide to block the epidemic areas of Class A infectious diseases within their respective administrative areas; However, it is up to the State Council to block epidemic areas in large and medium-sized cities or across provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government, and to block trunk traffic or close borders. The lifting of the blockade of epidemic areas shall be decided and announced by the original decision-making organ.