Published in furtherafrica.com
The Angolan Government approved on the last Tuesday (September 8, 2020) the Presidential Decree number 229/20, which updates the measures taken during the Public Calamity Situation. These new rules will be in force for the next 30 days;.
With the extension of the Public Calamity Situation, some changes occur to the rules previously imposed, namely:
- The sanitary fences in force will continue in force until October 8;
- It is allowed the return to the country of Angolan citizens and foreigners legally residing or with work visas, in addition to the entry of diplomats and official delegations. However, the requirement for a negative COVID-19 test, type RT-PCR, carried out up to 72 hours before embarkation both on entry and exit from Angolan territory is still in place;
- The gradual resumption of scheduled domestic and international flights is authorized as of mid-September;
- Home quarantine is mandatory for nationals, foreign residents, and members of the diplomatic corps accredited in Angola, coming from abroad;
- A minimum of 7 days remains mandatory for home quarantine, subject to a new COVID-19 test during that period;
- Documents issued by Angolan authorities with expired validity remain valid until December 31;
- The most vulnerable citizens to contagion are exempt from working in person, and must be submitted to the telework regime;
- It is allowed the return of the classes in person (including for foreign schools and centers of professional formation) from October, in a phased way and dependent on the biosafety conditions of the schools, also subject to random testing of managers, teachers, and employees;
- An extra hour is added to the operating permit of commercial establishments and restaurants, which may remain open until 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., respectively, with commercial establishments having 50% of the workforce in Luanda and 75% in the other provinces, and restaurants having 50% of their service capacity;
- Cultural and leisure establishments are allowed to operate, being mandatory the use of face mask and the observance of biosafety and physical distance rules, not exceeding 50% of their capacity;
- Religious services are allowed from September 19 on Saturday and Sunday (in Luanda) and up to four times a week in the provinces, always with the recommended biosecurity measures (use of masks, ventilation, and distance);
- Collective transports can work again without time limitation, from October 1, with the occupation of the vehicles being restricted to 75% of their capacity;”
Article by Marco Correia Gadanha
Marco Correia Gadanha is a partner of the Portuguese law office MC&A. He is specialized in legal advice to international transactions. Marco has extensive experience of legal practice in Portugal and in the Portuguese-speaking African countries. Since 2008, he has practiced mainly in the areas of labor and litigation, assisting national and international clients in these and other matters, namely corporate law, especially in Portugal, Angola and Mozambique. He graduated at the University of Coimbra in 2005 and he holds post-graduations in Labor and Angolan Law.