Paradigm Initiative and Start up by A&E Law Develop Draft Coronavirus Regulations

In a virtual policy sprint that lasted for 72 hours, Startup by A&E Law and Paradigm Initiative led the development of a draft Coronavirus Regulation which States in Nigeria can adopt to guide their response to the global pandemic.

The Regulation which was drafted in line with the Quarantine Act (CAP Q2 LFN 2004) sets out a defined lockdown period during which a State Governor may impose such restrictions as may be necessary to help forestall the pandemic.

The Draft also has provisions to ensure adherence to defined time frames to ensure proportionality in its application.

The Draft Regulation which has 12 clauses also sets out the declarations prescribed by the Quarantine Act on a dangerous infectious disease and the local area (State) to which it applies.

While speaking on the development, Adeboye Adegoke, Paradigm Initiative’s Program Manager, Digital Rights, said that “We have worked with Startup by A&E Law and other members of the Nigerian community online to produce a standard Regulation that reflects our shared commitment to combating this pandemic.

As a digital right organisation, we ensured that the draft has digital rights provision to safeguard against potential abuse and to ensure that the measures being taken by States at this time are lawful, necessary, appropriate, periodic, and transparent.

Speaking on the Policy Sprint, Naro Omo-Osagie of Start-up by A&E Law described it as a glimpse into law and policymaking in an increasingly digitized future.

She added that they were inspired to Crowdsource a Draft Regulation for Nigerian States after the Covid-19 Policy Hackathon organized by LawyersHub Kenya.

She expressed her appreciation to all the individuals and organizations whose support and guidance contributed to the final document.

She thanked Lawyers Hub Kenya, the Africa Law Tech Association and in particular, Paradigm Initiative whose collaboration and input made the sprint possible.

On the Draft Regulations, she further stated that Startup by A&E Law is happy to connect with States seeking to adopt the Draft Regulations for their own use.