How the Covid-19 pandemic affected human rights, and how to better prepare for the next pandemic

This chapter provides an overview of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on human rights and seeks to contribute to better societal preparation for future pandemics. The chapter provides an understanding of how the pandemic amounts to a disaster, before considering the human rights that were most commonly affected by the pandemic across the world. Focusing in particular on the right to health, the identifies how the various aspects of this right were at stake during the pandemic. Finally, the chapter considers how states’ human rights obligations may be reduced during the pandemic and what criteria are set by international human rights law for doing this in a lawful manner, before arguing that enhanced observance and actions by states upon their human rights commitments, would lead to a better handling of future pandemics.