NRS441A.160. Investigation: Powers of health authority to conduct investigation of communicable disease; order to require person to submit to examination; order of isolation, quarantine or treatment.

      1.  A health authority who knows, suspects or is informed of the existence within the jurisdiction of the health authority of any communicable disease shall immediately investigate the matter and all circumstances connected with it, and shall take such measures for the prevention, suppression and control of the disease as are required by the regulations of the Board or a local board of health.

      2.  A health authority may:

      (a) Enter private property at reasonable hours to investigate any case or suspected case of a communicable disease.

      (b) Order any person whom the health authority reasonably suspects has a communicable disease in an infectious state to submit to any medical examination or test which the health authority believes is necessary to verify the presence of the disease. The order must be in writing and specify the name of the person to be examined and the time and place of the examination and testing, and may include such terms and conditions as the health authority believes are necessary to protect the public health.

      (c) Except as otherwise provided in subsection 5 and NRS 441A.210, issue an order requiring the isolation, quarantine or treatment of any person or group of persons if the health authority believes that such action is necessary to protect the public health. The order must be in writing and specify the person or group of persons to be isolated or quarantined, the time during which the order is effective, the place of isolation or quarantine and other terms and conditions which the health authority believes are necessary to protect the public health, except that no isolation or quarantine may take place if the health authority determines that such action may endanger the life of a person who is isolated or quarantined.

      3.  Each order issued pursuant to this section must be served upon each person named in the order by delivering a copy to him or her.

      4.  If a health authority issues an order to isolate or quarantine a person with a communicable or infectious disease in a medical facility, the health authority must isolate or quarantine the person in the manner set forth in NRS 441A.510 to 441A.720, inclusive.

      5.  Except as otherwise provided in NRS 441A.310 and 441A.380, a health authority may not issue an order requiring the involuntary treatment of a person without a court order requiring the person to submit to treatment.

      (Added to NRS by 1989, 295; A 2003, 2206; 2011, 2507)