COVID-19 in Southeast Asia: Law, Policy, and Public Health Perspectives in Southeast Asia

The starting point for this roundtable is a book edited by Victor V. Ramraj, entitled COVID-19 in Asia: Law and Policy Contexts, published in December 2020 by Oxford University Press. The book considers Asia’s legal and policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, identifying cross-cutting themes and challenges. The collection begins with an epidemiological overview and survey of the law and policy themes and then presents cross-cutting thematic essays and case studies covering five topics: first wave containment measures; emergency powers; technology, science, and expertise; politics, religion, and governance; and economy, climate, and sustainability. The participants, all of whom are contributors to the book, will consider recent developments in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia in particular—as well as Southeast Asia more generally—identifying some of the legal, policy, and public health themes that have emerged since the book was published. The discussion will focus on some of the unintended consequences of legal and policy responses to the pandemic, relating to: (a) longer-term changes to the role of the state in realizing security and surveillance; (b) the impact of COVID-19 on well-being of older adults and the gaps in well-being that have emerged as a result of circuit breaker and social distancing measures taken to combat the pandemic; and (c) changes to democratic institutions, executive powers, and the relationship between state and non-state actors, including religious groups and institutions. The contributors will use this roundtable as an opportunity to identify critical themes to include in a planned second edition of the book.