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Health Act 1956

Infectious and notifiable diseases

80: Offences in respect of infectious or communicable diseases

You could also call this:

"Breaking the law when you spread infectious diseases in public"

You can commit an offence if you are sick with an infectious disease and you go to a public place without taking precautions to stop the infection spreading. You do this if you know you are sick and you go to a public place without taking precautions. You also do this if you are looking after someone who is sick and you take them to a public place without taking precautions.

You can also commit an offence if you lend, sell or give someone something that you know has been near someone with an infectious disease, unless it has been properly cleaned. You commit an offence if you rent a house to someone without telling them that someone with an infectious disease has been living there. You must tell people if someone with an infectious disease is living in a house you are renting out.

A public place is defined in the Summary Offences Act 1981. If you are in charge of a hotel or a place that serves alcohol under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012, you are considered to be renting out a house if you let someone stay there. You must follow the rules to stop infectious diseases spreading.

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This page was last updated on

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM307251.

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"Keeping others safe from infectious diseases by isolating sick people"

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"Local authorities can clean places to stop people getting sick"

Part 3Infectious and notifiable diseases

80Offences in respect of infectious or communicable diseases

  1. Every person commits an offence against this Act who—

  2. while to his own knowledge suffering from any infectious disease, wilfully is in any public place without having taken proper precautions against the spread of infection:
    1. while in charge of any person suffering as aforesaid, takes him into or allows him to be in any public place without having taken proper precautions against the spread of infection:
      1. while suffering as aforesaid, enters any public conveyance; or, while in charge of any person so suffering, takes him into any public conveyance without in every such case notifying the driver or conductor of the fact.

        1. Every person commits an offence against this Act who—

        2. lends, sells, transmits, or exposes any things which to his knowledge have been exposed to infection from any communicable disease, unless they have first been effectively disinfected, or proper precautions have been taken against spreading the infection:
          1. lets for hire any house or part of a house to be shared or occupied in common by or with any person who to his knowledge is suffering from any communicable disease:
            1. lets for hire any house or part of a house in which there then is, or within the previous month has been, any person to his knowledge suffering from any communicable disease, unless the house or part thereof, as the case may be, and all things therein liable to infection have been effectively disinfected to the satisfaction of a medical officer of health before the person hiring goes into occupation:
              1. when letting or negotiating to let to any person for hire any house in which any person suffering from an infectious disease is then living, or any part of any such house, does not disclose that fact.

                1. For the purposes of this section, the expression public place has the same meaning as in section 2 of the Summary Offences Act 1981.

                2. For the purposes of this section, the keeper of a lodginghouse or boardinghouse or the licensee or person charged with the management of any premises licensed or deemed to be licensed under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 shall be deemed to let part of a house for hire to any person admitted as a guest or lodger to the lodginghouse or boardinghouse or premises.

                Notes
                • Section 80(3): amended, on , pursuant to section 51(3) of the Summary Offences Act 1981 (1981 No 113).
                • Section 80(4): amended, on , by section 417(1) of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 (2012 No 120).
                • Section 80(4): amended, on , pursuant to section 230(2) of the Sale of Liquor Act 1989 (1989 No 63).