“The Multisectoral Commission for Preventing and Combating covid-19 has been following with great concern the practice of actions and the performance of activities that not only disobey the provisions of Presidential Decree No. 256/20, of 8 October, which defines the measures in force in the context of the Public Disaster Situation, as, above all, jeopardize individual health and at great risk to collective health ”, criticized this body, in a statement.
The Commission condemned “vehemently such acts and activities” and recalled that the beaches are still banned, parties outside the home are forbidden and limited to 15 people at home, cultural shows cannot be dancing and require seating, restaurants can only operate until at 10 pm with a capacity limited to 50 percent and on public roads the gatherings cannot exceed ten people.
Speaking to Rádio Luanda, Chief Inspector Nestor Goubel, spokesman for the Luanda provincial command of the National Police, said that in recent days there has been greater disobedience of the rules.
“We are seeing that a lot of people almost intentionally, irresponsibly (…), are looking at it as if nothing is going to happen. As it is an invisible virus, even with the reports of MINSA [Ministry of Health], we are assisting people, with families, adults, even very well-informed people, with a certain level, on the beaches, retreats, families and adults in restaurants and bars, ”said the official.
Nestor Goubel said that “people go to restaurants and do not strictly comply with biosafety measures” and also blamed restaurant and nightclub owners.
"There are restaurants that close the front and open at the back," he criticized, recalling that the presidential decree only provides for the operation of restaurants until 10 pm.
“The police have been monitoring and taking extremely tough positions. Since March, when the pandemic began, we have been carrying out a series of actions, since raising awareness of the pandemic ”, he said, adding that the police have already advised the closure of some restaurants, including on the island of Luanda.
“We are talking about an administrative transgression and the police have legal limits, that is, there comes a time when they cannot act because there are bodies that must intervene. For example, MINSA, for inspections, INADEC (Instituto do Consumidor), the Ministry of the Environment, must inspect and not during the day, it is at night as the police do, because it is at night where everything and anything happens thing. We all have to work together ”, he concluded.
