Crisis Management in Times of Epidemics a Restriction of Human and Civil Liberties and Rights

The aim of this arcticle is to indicate how the epidemic threat may affect the crisis management, mainly in the administrative terms. The subject of the study covers the definition of the principles of crisis management and possible restrictions on human and civil liberties and rights at the time of an epidemic threat. The analysis of the topic will allow to answer the questions: “is the public administration able to ensure the safety of citizens in times of epidemics?” and “do the current and so far introduced legal regulations in connection with the coronavirus epidemic significantly restrict the rights and freedoms of citizens?”.The first part of the work presents issues related to crisis management and public safety. In the second, the rules of managing national security due to the spread of the coronavirus will be discussed.

The objective of this article is to point to legal foundations of the crisis management system and to specify principles it is built on, its actors, their competences, mechanisms of cooperation and coordination and principles for financing crisis management tasks. The author places special emphasis on the need to observe human rights and freedoms in the context of actions taken by the state that aim to ensure security and to create an effective crisis management system. The starting point for this discussion is an assumption that security-related problems affect the entire society whereby this society has the right and obligation to participate in efforts to ensure security. At the same time, institutional mechanisms of ensuring security only use participation of institutions by various kinds of interrelations and support. This article shows certain mechanisms of building national security by state bodies and institutions that are responsible for it and competent to respond in crisis situations. How-ever, the exegesis covers participation of the armed forces and legal aspects of employing the Polish Armed Forces in the event of non-military threats.