As part of the fight against the new coronavirus, the Authorities of Guinea Bissau declared a state of emergency, as well as the closure of air, land and sea borders in Guinea-Bissau, measures that were accompanied by a series of other restrictions.
The Presidential Decree n. º 6/2020, dated 27 March 2020, decreed the first State of Emergency for reasons of the COVID-19 pandemic, covering the entire Republic of Guinea-Bissau, providing that fundamental rights exercise remained temporarily suspended. All passengers arriving by air, land and or sea borders, in case of suspicion, are obliged to stay in their homes for a minimum period of 14 days.
The Presidential Decree n. º 8/2020, dated 14 April 2020, extended the State of Emergency until 26 April 2020.
The State of Emergency was regulated by the Decree n.º 7/2020, dated 1 April 2020, that established exceptional and restricting measures such as the mandatory isolation for infected or under suspicion, prohibition of the population on public roads, restraint to travel within the territory and international circulation, interdiction of the right to assemble and demonstrate, workers’ rights, created quarantine facilities, interdiction of public transports, limitations to commerce and restaurants, religious freedom, funeral ceremonies, property rights and the right of resistance.
Due to the worsening of the propagation state, with the increase in the number of infected by Covid-19, the Council of Ministers issued the Decree n. º 9/2020, dated 15 April 2020, to adapt the measures to face the COVID-19 pandemic to the current situation.
The BCEAO2 has already announced a series of measures to allow banks to continue the support to companies and to create conditions for an effective recovery, including a moratorium on the payment of credits granted by banking institutions to companies. Companies affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, as long as they request it from the banking system, may benefit from the extension of the maturity of the loans, for a period of three months, renewable once, without additional costs (interest, fees or penalty).
