The draft decree requests that the state of emergency, decreed due to covid-19, which would end at 23:59 on 25 April, be extended from 00:00 on 26 April until 23:59 on 10 May.
The state of emergency was declared on 27 March for 15 days, having been extended for the first time on 11 April, with a further extension being prepared.
In a letter addressed to parliament, President João Lourenço referred that the situation of the pandemic caused by the new coronavirus, which has already caused two deaths in Angola in a total of 25 positive cases, six of which have been cured, recommends the continuation of extraordinary measures and the extension of the emergency state.
"Accordingly, considering that the risks of public calamity persist, I use the gift to ask parliament to pronounce on a new extension of the state of emergency for another 15 days", read the Minister of State and head of the House of Security of the President of the Republic, Pedro Sebastião.
Pedro Sebastião highlighted some of the changes in the draft presidential decree submitted to the National Assembly, namely the survey of the provincial health fence.
"It means that citizens will be able to move within the provinces and to others without major constraints, within the framework of what is established in the draft decree," said Pedro Sebastião, more specifically for the exercise of economic activity, that is, purchase of goods and services from one province to another.
However, the provincial sanitary fence remains in Luanda, the capital of Angola, and citizens cannot move to other regions of the country, because it was here "where the first cases appeared and there are the biggest problems".
"It means that the citizens of Luanda will not be able to travel outside the provinces, or from other provinces to Luanda, except for the reasons properly considered", he stressed.
In the presentation of the draft decree, the Minister of State and Chief of Staff of the President of the Republic, Adão de Almeida, said that confinement and social isolation are maintained.
Adão de Almeida stressed that there is a widening of the exceptional situations that allow citizens to circulate on the public road, which are linked to the set of services that will be able to function during this new period.
"All those who have links with institutions authorized to operate, during this period of state of emergency, can circulate (...) to go to workplaces and return home," he said.
According to Adão de Almeida, in this new phase of the state of emergency, the State and auxiliary organs of the President of the Republic will see the working period extended from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm, as well as the face-to-face workforce available up to 50 percent, on a regime basis. of turnover.
"The same is true for public services in general, it is intended that at that second moment a process of reopening public services that were closed will begin, provided that a maximum of 50 percent of the actual staff available to provide services are also observed", he said. .
Professional sports competitions remain closed, but an exception is made, which allows the practice of individual sports and leisure activities in open spaces, from 5:00 am to 6:30 am and from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm.
From the point of view of economic and commercial activity, essentially of goods and services in general, Adão de Almeida stressed that it will operate from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm, also with a workforce not exceeding 50 percent.
"It means that all the economic activity that was closed is reopened. In the first moment, only commercial establishments that were dedicated to essential goods and services could operate, now it is open not only for essential goods and services, but also trade in general ", he stressed.
With regard to industrial activity, only those dedicated to the production of essential goods were authorized to operate at first, with the opening now for general industry, as well as for priority and strategic public works.
Schools at all levels will remain closed, as well as the national fence, with the exceptions set out in the previous decree, which ends on the 25th, but public transport sees the increase in capacity, which increases to 50 percent of its capacity, authorized , against a third previously allowed.
With the changes introduced in the field of movement of people, the draft decree determines the mandatory use of masks in markets, closed spaces for public access and in public transport.
