Changes to Existing Law

Any person individual in the state reasonably suspected of having active tuberculosis, middle east respiratory syndrome (MERS), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), smallpox, or viral hemorrhagic fevers, or any disease or condition which that is the subject of a declared public health emergency pursuant to § 34-22-42, shall accept a necessary diagnosis or treatment, or both. Any person individual who intentionally refuses to accept the diagnosis or treatment, or both, or who fails to follow the reasonable and necessary directives of the department issued for the protection of other persons individuals, is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. An individual is not required to receive treatment for a disease or condition that is the subject of a declared public health emergency if the individual has exercised the right to a conscience exemption for the treatment, as provided in sections 2 to 7, inclusive, of this Act.