A doctor has numerous duties in situations such as epidemics. He has a duty to patients, a duty to protect oneself from risk of harm, a duty toward one’s family, a duty to colleagues whose workloads and risk of harm will be heightened in one’s absence, as well as a duty to society. (Simonds AK, Sokol DK. Lives on the line? Ethics and practicalities of duty of care in pandemics and disasters. EurRespir J. 2009 Aug;34(2):303-9.)

The MCI regulations offer some guidance on the subject.

Regulation 5.1 states that physicians, as good citizens, who possess special training, must share advice on public health issues. They should play their role in enforcing the laws of the community. They must co-operate with the authorities in the administration of public health laws and regulations.

Regulation 5.2 states that physicians, particularly the ones who are involved in public health work, must inform people about quarantine regulations and measures to prevent an epidemic and communicable diseases. The physician must notify the public health authorities about every case of a communicable disease under his care, following the laws, rules and regulations of the health authorities. In case of an epidemic, a physician should not abandon his duty due to the fear of contracting the disease himself.