Section 37 Exclusion orders
68.This section allows a health board competent person to make an “exclusion order” which will exclude a person from any place or type of place specified in the order, and impose such conditions (if any) on the person as the competent person considers appropriate. Subsection (1) provides that an exclusion order may be made where the health board knows that a person in its area has an infectious disease, has been exposed to an organism which causes such a disease, is contaminated or has been exposed to a contaminant. In addition the health board must consider that there is a significant risk to public health and it is necessary to exclude that person from certain places to avoid or minimise that risk.
69.Under subsection (3), before making an exclusion order, the health board competent person must be satisfied that the criteria set out in subsection (1) have been met and have regard to imposing the least restrictive order necessary to protect public health.
70.Subsection (4) sets out what must be specified in an exclusion order: the person to whom it applies, the places from which the person is excluded, and any conditions being imposed. The subsection also specifies that the order must be served on the person to whom it applies and be notified to any person who was given an explanation under section 31, as well as to anyone else whom the competent person considers appropriate. In the case of an exclusion order stopping a child from attending school, for example, that might be the head teacher. An exclusion order may not specify a person’s own place of residence as a place from which that person can be excluded. The exclusion order comes into effect from the time it is served on the person to whom it applies.
