Covid-19 and Law: The Legal Science of the XXI Century in the Age of the 'Great Pandemic'

Abstract

The real meaning of the words 'epidemic' and 'pandemic'. The pandemic in history: the Antonine plague in the Roman Empire and the epidemic in Athens. The issue of the role of law in managing extraordinary events: the modern perspective and the Roman law perspective in comparison. Carl Schmitt’s theory of 'Ausnahmezustand' and the need to overcome this model. The importance of law and legal science in times of emergency.