The new measures on the situation of public calamity in Angola, now aggravated due to the accelerated increase in new cases of covid-19, are in force from 10 May to 8 June next.
The decree, presented by the Minister of State and Chief of Staff of the President, Adão de Almeida, specifies that, in Luanda, restaurants and the like should only make the local service from Monday to Friday from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm.
Take-away and home delivery services must be made from Monday to Sunday until 10 pm and on Saturdays and Sundays "on-site service is forbidden".
In the remaining provinces, restaurants and the like continue to operate from Monday to Sunday, from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm, for local service, and from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm for 'take-away' and home delivery.
The reinforcement of the measures is due to the "accelerated increase in positive cases, an increase in deaths from covid-19 and the registration of new variants" in the country, namely in South Africa and England, the authorities note.
The high rate of contagion and lethality of the disease, especially of the new strains, are also pointed out as reasons for the reinforcement of the measures, with the authorities expressing "concern about the rampant growth of new cases" in all age groups.
The workforce has also been reduced by up to 50 percent in public and private administrative services in the province of Luanda, from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm, while in the rest of the country’s provinces the workforce of up to 75 percent remains.
The presidential decree maintains the ban on festive gatherings in an unfamiliar place, the ban on ballrooms and similar establishments and aggravates fines between 600,000 kwanzas and 800,000 kwanzas.
The authorities also admit the "possibility of compulsory closure and permanent seizure of goods and equipment" of the said establishments in case of non-compliance with the measures.
In the province of Luanda, the operation of cinemas is also suspended, while in the other provinces they operate until 8 pm.
According to the decree, night clubs, casinos and gambling rooms remain banned, noting that "disobedience can lead to crime and determine the final seizure of goods and equipment".
The new decree, which maintains face-to-face classes at all levels of education, also determines the establishment of a maximum period of three hours per teaching period in public, private and international schools.
