The state of emergency in Angola takes effect from this Friday and has a period of fifteen days that can be extended, as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of the new coronavirus that has infected four people in the country.
According to the Minister for Territorial Administration and State Reform, the ban on the movement and permanence of people on public roads is one of the exceptional measures in the light of the presidential decree on the state of emergency, recommending home retirement to citizens.
Adão de Almeida, who was speaking at a press conference, on Thursday night, in Luanda, said that only necessary and urgent trips are authorized as for the acquisition or provision of essential goods and services and the performance of essential professional activities.
They also enjoy the right to travel to obtain health care, delivery of food and medicines at home, search for banking services, assistance to vulnerable people, transport of essential goods, among others.
The government official observes that in the event of disobedience, the competent public administration bodies advise citizens to return to their homes and their non-compliance translates into a "crime of disobedience liable to immediate detention".
During the 15 days of state of emergency, suppliers of medicines and other health services, public and private hospital units, Banco Nacional de Angola, pharmacies and insurance services will remain in operation.
Military units, public order, private security services, civil protection and firefighters, emergency services, energy and water are in the same condition.
As part of the measures to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government approved, on Thursday, a Water Supply Contingency Plan, especially for the most vulnerable population, in response to the recommendations of the Council of the Republic.
According to the Minister of Energy and Water, João Batista Borges, the plan includes strengthening the technical capacity of public sector companies, as well as actions that should mobilize human and technical resources from other operators in the sector.
In the light of the Contingency Plan, the distribution of water free of charge should focus more on essential facilities in hospitals, health centers, morgues, informal markets, quarantine centers and prison establishments.
The water tariff will remain unchanged and there will be no cuts due to lack of payments, the official said.
Also from this Friday, the first of the 15 days of state of emergency in Angola, a free special package for telecommunications services should come into force, comprising 40 minutes of voice, data for sms and Internet, public channels of free television on the Zap and Multichoice platforms, among others.
The country, which currently has four cases of people infected by Covid-19, is carrying out various awareness-raising and reinforcement measures for epidemiological surveillance at the 32 points of entry to Angola. More than 500 people are in mandatory institutional quarantine and others serve 40 households.
