The text of the emergency decree
Following the preventive and compulsory social isolation as from yesterday announced by President Alberto Fernández late on Thursday in a bid to flatten the rising curve of coronavirus, the following 14- article decree was disclosed:
- Article 1: “Preventive and compulsory social isolation” is established from March 20 to 31 inclusive, a period which may be extended for the time considered necessary.
- Article 2: People must remain in their place of residence and abstain from going to their workplaces. They may not move along roads, highways, streets and public spaces.
- Article 3: Security forces will install permanent controls on roads, streets, public spaces, accesses and other strategic spots.
- Article 4: In the event of an infraction in complying with isolation, the competent authority will immediately proceed to make that person desist from their misconduct, taking action within the framework of Articles 205 and 239 and concordant dispositions of the Criminal Code. The security forces must immediately stop vehicles circulating in infraction, proceeding to their preventive retention.
- Article 5: No cultural, recreational, sporting or religious events may be held. Restaurants, bars, cafés, shopping centres, wholesale and retail establishments are suspended from opening.
- Article 6: The following exceptions apply: health workers, security forces, the Armed Forces, immigration controls, the national weather service, firemen and air traffic controllers; the senior authorities of the national, provincial and municipal governments and of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, national, provincial and municipal public-sector employees and of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires summoned by their respective authorities to guarantee essential services; judicial personnel; foreign diplomatic and consular staff accredited to the Argentine
government; persons who must assist handicapped people; relatives needing assistance such as the elderly, children and adolescents; people who must deal with a situation of force majeure; undertakers; people taking care of school and community canteens; communication workers in television, radio and the print media; those employed in public works; supermarkets both wholesale and retail and neighbourhood retail outlets; pharmacies; ironmongers; veterinary surgeons; gas canister outlets; food industries including the whole chain of production and inputs; personal hygiene and toiletries; medical equipment, medicines, vaccines and other sanitary inputs; activities connected to the production, distribution and marketing of agriculture, livestock and fisheries; telecommunications activities in fixed and mobile Internet and digital services; activities related to foreign trade which cannot be postponed; the collection, transport and treatment of solid urban waste when dangerous and pathogenic; the maintenance of basic services (water, electricity, gas, communications, etc.) including emergency services; the public transport of passengers as well as the transport of merchandise goods, petrol, fuels, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG); home delivery of food, medicine, hygiene products, detergents and other needed items; laundry services; postal services and the distribution of parcels; essential nightwatchman, cleaning and guard services; skeleton staffs to ensure the operation and maintenance of oil and gas fields and oil and gas
refineries and/or treatment plants; the Mint, ATMS and cash transport.
- Article 7: The April 2 holiday, established by Law 27,399 in commemoration of the Day of the Veteran and those who died in the Malvinas War, will be transferred to March 31, 2020, only this once.
- Article 8: Private-sector workers will have the right to collect their usual salaries integrally.
- Article 9: Employees of the national public administration may take as days off 20, 25, 26, 27 and 30 of March, 2020.
- Article 10: The province, the Autonomous City of Buenos
Aires and municipal governments will issue the necessary measures to implement what is disposed in this decree.
- Article 11: Those in charge of the jurisdictions and organisms
comprehended in Article 8, will dictate the regulatory norms they deem necessary in order to put this decree into effect.
- Article 12: The present measure will take effect as from its publication in the Official Gazette. - Article 13: Notify the Permanent Bicameral Committee of the Honourable Congress of the Nation. - Article 14: Communicate, publish and file said decree.