Covid-19 and the Interplay Between National Law and International Health Norms

Abstract The focus of this chapter is to compare the role of international health norms, particularly of regulations and standards from the World Health Organization (WHO), in different national legal responses to the Covid-19 pandemic. The analysis is based on fifty-three country and regional reports available in the Lex-Atlas: Covid-19 project. Data is available in The Oxford Compendium of National Legal Responses to Covid-19. Two focus areas are the nuances of legal restrictions of international travel during the pandemic and the frequency and nature of citations to the WHO´s declarations and guidance on public health measures. Data on these questions was quite heterogenous, preventing the identification of broader patterns. Nevertheless, a few conclusions are put forward concerning the normative implications of the role played by international health norms in national legal responses to Covid-19.