Executive Order of the Governor of Puerto Rico,Hon. Wanda Vázquez Garced, in order to repeal Administrative Bulletin No. OE-2020-048 and adopt more restrictive measures to control the spreading of COVID-19 in Puerto Rico.
| Jurisdicción | Puerto Rico |
| Orden ejecutiva nº | OE-2020-054 Eng |
| Fecha | 16 Enero 2020 |
CERTIFIED TRANSLATION
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.
GOVERNMENT OF PUERTO RICO
LA FORTALEZA
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO
Administrative Bulletin Number: OE-2020-054
EXECUTIVE ORDER OF THE GOVERNOR OF PUERTO RICO, HON. WANDA
VÁZQUEZ-GARCED, IN ORDER TO REPEAL ADMINISTRATIVE BULLETIN NO.
OE-2020-048 AND ADOPT MORE RESTRICTIVE MEASURES TO CONTROL THE
SPREADING OF COVID-19 IN PUERTO RICO.
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 across our Island have been aimed at
safeguarding the lives and the social, economic, and personal
safety of all Puerto Ricans.
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 the residents of Puerto Rico. To such effect, and aligned with
the statement issued by the World Health Organization 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, Administrative Bulletin No. OE-2020-020
was promulgated on March 12, 2020, declaring a state of
emergency throughout our archipelago due to the imminent threat
posed by COVID-19 (“OE-2020-020”).
WHEREAS:
In view of the emergency situation Puerto Rico is facing,
Administrative Bulletin OE-2020-026 (OE-2020-026) was issued,
which created the Executive Medical Advisory Task Force (Medical
Task Force) in charge of developing and implementing, in
conjunction with the Department of Health, studies, research, and
strategic plans on how to best manage the COVID-19 emergency,
as well as advising the Governor of Puerto Rico and the Secretary
of Health on 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 published various Administrative Bulletins related
to the pandemic. To wit, Administrative Bulletin OE-2020-023 was
issued on March 15, 2020, establishing additional measures to
slow and contain the spread of COVID-19 in Puerto Rico (OE-
2020-023), including, among other measures, the implementation
CERTIFIED TRANSLATION
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.
2
of a lockdown that applies to all citizens and the necessary
closures of both government and private operations. On March 30,
2020, Administrative Bulletin OE-2020-029 was issued in order to
extend the lockdown, the physical distancing measures, and the
closure of certain commercial and government operations. On April
7, 2020, Administrative Bulletin OE-2020-032 was issued to
establish more aggressive measures intended to flatten the curve
of COVID-19’s spread in our Island. On April 12, 2020,
Administrative Bulletin OE-2020-033 was issued in order to extend
the measures implemented to control the spread of COVID-19 in
Puerto Rico, including an extension to the lockdown and the
necessary temporary closures. The effective date of said Executive
Order was subsequently extended to May 3, 2020. Furthermore,
Administrative Bulletin No. OE-2020-038 was issued on May 1,
2020, extending the lockdown while implementing the first phase
for the loosening of the lockdown restrictions to allow for economic
flexibility, and, in turn, the phased reopening of several sectors.
The term of said Executive Order was extended to 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
approval of the Medical and the Economic Task Force. The
effectiveness of the aforementioned Executive Order was
extended to 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 physical
distancing rules. Administrative Bulletin No. OE-2020-048
implemented the fourth phase of economic reopening, and is
repealed under this executive order.
WHEREAS:
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”), whereby suggested parameters were
established to assist state and local governments in determining
CERTIFIED TRANSLATION
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.
3
which activities, businesses, jobs, and industries may be
considered as essential within the context of the emergency
created by COVID-19.
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:
Section 6.10 of Act No. 20-2017, as amended, known as the
“Puerto Rico Public Safety Department Act,” empowers the
Governor to declare a state of emergency on the 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 No. 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 said threat,
including measures to isolate and quarantine people who have
been exposed to or who have contracted infectious diseases that
pose a threat to public health, in accordance with the provisions of
Regulation No. 7380, known as the “Regulation for Isolation and
Quarantine.”
WHEREAS:
The consumption of alcoholic beverages in commercial
establishments and their surroundings during this emergency has
led to the noncompliance with the precautionary measures and
physical distancing by citizens. Section 229 of Act No. 62 of June
23, 1969, as amended, known as the “Military Code of Puerto
Rico,” empowers the Governor to prohibit the sale of alcoholic
beverages.
WHEREAS:
In strict Constitutional Law, the State may restrict the individual’s
fundamental rights if a compelling State interest is proven and if it
constitutes the least onerous means to further said interest. In this
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