Executive Order of the Governor of Puerto Rico,Hon. Wanda Vázquez Garced, for the purposes of extending the implemented lockdown, continuing the economic reopening, and other COVID-19 related purposes.

JurisdicciónPuerto Rico
Orden ejecutiva nºOe-2020-048 Eng
Fecha29 Enero 2020
CERTIFIED TRANSLATION
GOVERNMENT OF PUERTO RICO
LA FORTALEZA
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO
Administrative Bulletin Number: OE-2020-048
EXECUTIVE ORDER OF THE GOVERNOR OF PUERTO RICO, HON. WANDA
VÁZQUEZ-GARCED, FOR THE PURPOSES OF EXTENDING THE
IMPLEMENTED LOCKDOWN, CONTINUING THE ECONOMIC REOPENING, AND
OTHER COVID-19-RELATED PURPOSES.
WHEREAS:
The lives of our people are the top priority of the Government of
Puerto Rico amid the COVID-19 pandemic. All efforts to stop the
spread of the virus on our Island have been aimed at safeguarding
the lives and the social, economic, and personal safety of all Puerto
Ricans.
WHEREAS:
In economic terms, the COVID-19 pandemic has been the fourth
major disaster to strike our Island over the last three (3) years. Like
the rest of the world, the economic restrictions imposed as a
consequence of the social distancing rules to control the spread of
the virus have caused multimillion-dollar losses to our economy.
WHEREAS:
Given that we have controlled a lethal virus by responding wisely
and promptly, optimizing our hospital resources, and keeping
COVID-19 at manageable levels, we trust in the wisdom of our
citizens to move to the next stage of economic reopening so that
we can maintain the physical distancing measures imposed while
reactivating our economy.
WHEREAS:
The Government of Puerto Rico has made all efforts and has taken
all necessary measures to prevent and halt the spread of COVID-
19, as well as to safeguard the health, the lives, and the safety of
all of Puerto Rico’s residents. To this end, and in line with the
statement issued by the World Health Organization (WHO)
classifying the respiratory illness caused by COVID-19 as a global
sanitary and social emergency at a pandemic level that required
effective and immediate action of all governments and jurisdictions
throughout the world, on March 12, 2020, the Governor of Puerto
Rico, Honorable Wanda Vázquez-Garced, enacted Administrative
Bulletin No. OE-2020-020 declaring a state of emergency
throughout our archipelago due to the imminent threat posed by
COVID-19 (“OE-2020-020”).
WHEREAS:
In light of the emergency currently facing Puerto Rico,
Administrative Bulletin No. OE-2020-026 (“OE-2020-026”) was
CERTIFIED TRANSLATION
2
I, Juan E. Segarra, USCCI #06-067/translator, certify that the foregoing is a true and accurate
translation, to the best of my abilities, of the document in Spanish which I have seen.
enacted to create the Medical Advisory Executive Committee or
“Medical Task Force”, in charge of collaborating with the
Department of Health to develop and implement studies, research,
and strategic plans on how to best manage the COVID-19
emergency, as well as to advise and assist the Governor of Puerto
Rico and the Secretary of Health in the decision-making process
regarding public health and other matters related to this
emergency.
WHEREAS:
Following the emergency declaration issued by the President of
the United States, Honorable Donald J. Trump, the Government of
Puerto Rico has issued several Administrative Bulletins related to
the pandemic, to wit, Administrative Bulletin No. OE-2020-023,
enacted on March 15, 2020, whereby additional measures were
established to slow down and contain the spread of COVID-19 in
Puerto Rico, including, among other means, the implementation of
a lockdown that applies to all citizens and the necessary closures
of both governmental and private operations. Administrative
Bulletin No. OE-2020-029 was issued on March 30, 2020, with the
purpose of extending the lockdown, the social distancing
measures, and the closure of government operations and certain
businesses. On April 7, 2020, Administrative Bulletin OE-2020-032
was issued to impose stricter measures to flatten de curve of
COVID-19 infection on our Island. On April 12, 2020,
Administrative Bulletin No. OE-2020-033 was issued to continue
implementing the measures taken to control the risk of COVID-19
infection in Puerto Rico, among them, temporarily extending the
lockdown and the necessary closures. The term of said Executive
Order was extended until May 3, 2020. Furthermore,
Administrative Bulletin OE-2020-038 was issued on May 1, 2020
to extend the lockdown while beginning the implementation of the
first phase of economic flexibility, by allowing the gradual
reopening of several sectors. The term of said Executive Order was
extended until May 25, 2020.
WHEREAS:
During the second phase of economic flexibility, some of the
economic sectors that had been subject to total closure and strict
safety protocols under previous executive orders to minimize the
risk of infection were allowed to open. On May 21, 2020,
Administrative Bulletin OE-2020-041 was issued to include these
economic sectors in the gradual reopening of businesses, with the
CERTIFIED TRANSLATION
3
I, Juan E. Segarra, USCCI #06-067/translator, certify that the foregoing is a true and accurate
translation, to the best of my abilities, of the document in Spanish which I have seen.
approval of the Medical and the Economic Task Force. The term
of the aforementioned Executive Order was extended until June
15, 2020.
WHEREAS:
The third phase of economic reopening began under
Administrative Bulletin OE-2020-044, whereby several economic
sectors were reactivated under strict security measures in order to
ensure compliance with all precautionary measures and social
distancing rules.
WHEREAS:
In order to set specific parameters for helping state and local
governments determine which activities, businesses, jobs, and
industries can be considered as essential within the context of the
emergency created by COVID-19, the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security
Agency published a document titled, “Guidance on the Essential
Critical Infrastructure Workforce: Ensuring Community and
National Resilience in COVID-19 Response” (“The Guide”).
WHEREAS:
The purpose of the Guide is to assist public officials in their role of
protecting the community while ensuring the continuation of services
that are critical to public health and safety and economic security.
WHEREAS:
The Guide provides that the determinations over what constitutes
an essential business or activity are not definitive, but rather that
public health considerations linked to specific concerns related to
COVID-19 in each jurisdiction should be taken into account.
WHEREAS:
Article 6.10 of Act 20-2017, as amended, better known as the
Puerto Rico Public Safety Department Act, empowers the
Governor to declare a state of emergency on our Island, and “to
establish or modify state regulations, orders, plans, or measures
for emergencies or disasters as deemed necessary,” as well as
“to enact, amend or repeal any regulation, and to enact, amend, or
rescind any order as deemed appropriate during the state of
emergency or disaster.”
WHEREAS:
In the event that an epidemic threatens the health of the people of
Puerto Rico, Act 81 of March 14, 1912, as amended, known as the
Health Department Act, empowers the Department of Health to
take any measures it deems necessary to combat the said threat,
including measures to isolate and quarantine people who have
been exposed to or who have contracted infectious diseases that

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