Decision of the Prime Minister No. 19 of 2020 “Emergency”

Decision of the Prime Minister No. 19 of 2020

“Emergency”

The Prime Minister,

In reference of the provisions of the Amended Basic Law of 2003, as amended,

The provisions of the Presidential Decree No. 6 of 2020 Concerning the Declaration of the State of Emergency,

The provisions of the Law by Decree No. 7 of 2020 Concerning the State of Emergency,

Based upon the powers authorised to me in my capacity as the Prime Minister,

The powers bestowed upon me under the legislation in force,

In preservation of public health and safety, and

In pursuance of the public interest,

Hereby promulgates the following Decision:

Article 1

1. All governorates of the homeland shall be locked down, and movement and access from and into them shall be totally banned for a period of two weeks from the date of promulgation of this Decision.

2. Cities, towns, villages and refugee camps shall be locked down and citizens’ movement and access from and to them in the governorates of Ramallah and El-Bireh, Nablus, Hebron, and Bethlehem shall be banned for a period of four days from the date of promulgation of this Decision.

3. Notwithstanding the provisions of Paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article, and on condition of compliance with the provisions of the General Health Protocol, which regulates public health and safety preventive measures to be applied by institutions, commercial premises, drivers of public transportation vehicles and citizens, as approved and issued forth in this regard:

a. Industrial establishments, professions, and small and medium enterprises shall be allowed to operate.

b. The movement of commercial goods, food supplies, and health supplies and devices shall be allowed.

4. Ministers and heads of other government departments, each in their own ministry or department, shall be mandated with the powers of regulating the working hours of their staff, ensuring the delivery of emergency services to citizens and fulfilling their necessary interests and needs.

Article 2

1. The movement and access for citizens shall be banned every day from 8:00 pm to 6:00 am throughout the homeland, for a period of two weeks from the date of promulgation of this Decision.

2. The movement and access for citizens shall be banned in all the governorates of the homeland as of 8:00 pm on Thursday every week to 6:00 am on Sunday every week, with the exception of bakeries and pharmacies, until such time it is decided or instructed otherwise.

Article 3

1. In any circumstances whatsoever, it shall be forbidden to organise wedding parties, celebrations of all types and forms, funeral houses, festivals or gatherings for any reason and in any form throughout the homeland, until such time it is decided or instructed otherwise.

2. Emergency committees shall be tasked with following up on the implementation of the provisions of Paragraph 1 of this Article in towns, villages, and refugee camps. To this avail, they shall be entitled to take all the procedures which ensure that.

Article 4

All the cities, villages, refugee camps, and neighbourhoods, which are infected by COVID-19, shall be locked down. Quarantine shall be imposed on citizens therein in accordance with the effective laws and instructions issued forth in this regard.

Article 5

Compulsory quarantine shall be enforced and applied to every person who is proven to have contracted COVID-19 or the contacts who are infected with the virus. They shall be banned from going out of their homes or health quarantine facilities except when instructions are issued forth by the competent authorities.

Article 6

Notwithstanding the provisions of Paragraph 3 of Article 1 of this Decision, I hereby decide to:

1. Close down all wedding halls and facilities of special events, gatherings, and meetings, and kindergartens.

2. Close down vocational and educational centres and courses, and prohibit the holding or organisation of workshops and courses of various types.

3. Close barber and beauty shops, gymnasiums, swimming pools, and recreational and tourist venues.

4. Ban the organisation of summer camps.

5. Allow restaurants to operate without receiving customers and limit their operation to deliveries only.

6. Allow the factories of products and commodities designated for exportation, provided that they observe health and safety measures and instructions issued forth in this regard as well as the provisions of the General Health Protocol.

7. Allow the banks operating in Palestine and other financial institutions to operate, provided that they implement necessary procedures and measures which observe health and safety in their operations, that they comply with the announced health instructions and measures, and that they take account of the state of emergency in the number of their staff, who shall present their job cards when they are requested to do so.

8. Allow government primary healthcare clinics to open on two days a week in accordance with a programme to be set by the Ministry of Health for this purpose.

Article 7

1. Workers inside the Green Line shall be prohibited from commuting daily between their places of residence and workplaces.

2. All workers shall be banned from working inside settlements.

Article 8

1. The National Security Forces and Police, in cooperation with the rest of the security forces, shall assume the task of enforcing the provisions of this Decision by deploying their forces inside cities and villages and controlling their entrances, with a view to maintaining public security and public health.

2. All the competent authorities must tighten control over the enforcement of the provisions of the General Health Protocol, which regulates public health and safety preventive measures to be applied by institutions, commercial premises, drivers of public transportation vehicles and citizens, as approved and issued forth in this regard.

Article 9

All the competent authorities, each one within its sphere of jurisdiction, shall implement the provisions of this Decision, which shall enter into force as of the date of its promulgation and shall be published in the Official Gazette.

Promulgated in the city of Ramallah on July 12^th, 2020 Anno Domini,

Corresponding to Thu al-Qi’dah 21^st, 1441 Anno Hegira.

Dr. Mohammad Shtayyeh

Prime Minister