The situation of public calamity was decreed by Presidential Decree No. 142/20 of 25th May after the end of the State of Emergency to which the entire national territory was subject. The situation of public calamity, among various restrictions and recommendations, determined the sanitary fence of the Province of Luanda between 12:00 am on the 26th of May and 23:59 on the 9th of June, having subsequently been maintained through of Joint Executive Decree no. 177/20 of 9th June, as amended by Joint Executive Decree no. 178/20 of 10th June, until 11:59 pm on 25th June 2020.
If there is a need to regulate procedures and formalities related to national interprovincial travel and, in particular, between the Province of Luanda and other Provinces, as well as international travel, Joint Executive Decree No. 180/20 of 12th June, which entered into force on the day of its publication.
This joint diploma (Ministry of Interior, Transport, Health and Culture, Tourism and Environment), among others, regulates the return to the country of nationals and foreigners, holders of residence permits, refugee card, investor visa, work visa, study visa and temporary stay visa.
According to article 8 no. 2 of Presidential Decree no. 142/20 of 25th May, taking into account the defense and sanitary control of borders, this diploma regulates special situations, such as:
a) Return to the national territory of resident nationals and foreigners;
b) Travel by foreign citizens to their respective countries;
c) Official trips;
d) Entry and exit of cargo, merchandise and postal parcels;
e) Humanitarian aid;
f) Medical emergencies;
g) Technical scales;
h) Entry and exit of diplomatic and consular personnel;
i) Transfer of corpses, with up to two companions admissible, except the deceased affected by COVID-19, whose translation is prohibited;
j) Entry for foreign specialists to perform specific tasks.
Having established the regulations and formalities for travel to take place in national territory and between national territory and abroad while the situation and Public Calamity endures.
Thus, requests for repatriation of nationals abroad, foreigners residing in Angola, nationals residing abroad, as well as humanitarian and special flights, must be forwarded to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which must coordinate with the Ministries of Health and Transport for the issue of the respective authorizations, for the situations defined in points a), b), e), h) and i) above. Therefore, permission for this type of travel requires prior authorization.
Concerning official travel, the competence for its coordination rests with the Civil House of the President of the Republic, although the health rules defined by the Ministry of Health must be respected and the respective transport authorization must be obtained.
Regarding the entry of foreign specialists to carry out specific tasks, it is up to the different ministerial departments to define the rules for travel, without however complying with the health rules determined by the Ministry of Health, in order to obtain the proper transport authorization.
Along this path, the Ministry of Transport immediately regulated circulation throughout the national territory through Executive Decree No. 181/20 of 12th June, determining the rules to be followed in air, sea, rail and road transport.
In addition to what has already been defined with regard to the sanitary fence imposed on the Province of Luanda, the entry and exit of which is subject to strict regulation and only in the cases strictly provided for, the exception is made for citizens charged with supporting oil and mining activities, these may circulate, however complying with the health and protection rules established for this purpose, to and from the Province of Luanda, both by air and by sea, in the latter case only for workers in the oil sector posted on rigs or FPSO's in the national offshore.
It is incumbent upon the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministries of Health and Transport to define, formalize and communicate the specific procedures to be adopted in each of the special situations under its responsibility, safeguarding at least 72 (seventy-two) hours before the date of the trip.
It is the responsibility of the Ministry of Transport to authorize all flights, national or international, related to the entry and exit of cargo, merchandise and postal parcels, medical emergencies or technical stopovers.
Air travel nationwide to and from the Province of Luanda, regardless of the exceptions contemplated, will only begin with the survey of the current sanitary fence.
Air travel by passengers to and from abroad, regardless of the exceptions contemplated, will start on June 30th 2020, although subject to confirmation by the National Health Authorities.
The frequency of international flights to be carried out will depend on the traffic services and air services agreements that may be agreed between the Civil Aviation Authorities of Angola and the States involved, established in a specific regulation to be issued by the National Civil Aviation Authority.
Applicable to international travel:
➢ Obligation to carry out a previous RT-PCR, SARS-COV-2 molecular test, up to 8 (eight) days before the travel date;
➢ The test must be administered by entities duly certified by the Health Authority of the country of origin;
➢ Compliance with current rules and protocols issued by national health authorities and international organizations;
➢ 14 (fourteen) days institutional quarantine option in a Public Center or a hotel unit approved for this purpose for all who return to the country, as well as subjection to screening tests to be ensured by the Ministry of Health. If the passenger chooses to stay in a hotel, the authorization of the trip may be subject to confirmation by the health authorities. The quarantine period can be reduced to 7 (seven) days if the passenger performs in Angola a molecular test RT-PCR SARS-COV-2, in a private service certified by the Ministry of Health.
➢ If the institutional reception capacity is exhausted, or in an approved hotel unit, passengers must, under their personal responsibility and costs, carry out the quarantine period in the hotel units previously approved by the Ministry of Health. It is our understanding that the situations in which passengers have their own or rented housing in national territory, however, the rules of prior approval by the Ministry of Health must apply.
➢ Filling out the term of commitment, which must include the place of residence, address, personal and / or professional telephone contacts, and at least the names of two family members or professional colleagues (superiors or subordinates);
➢ Passengers belonging to the Diplomatic Corps, covered by the Vienna Convention, must comply with their home quarantine after assessment by the health and migratory authorities, and under their supervision, and must be subjected to tests whenever the Ministry of Health considers it necessary.
