President Abinader requests state of emergency extension
Dominican President Luis Abinader requested the National Congress an extension of the state of emergency for 45 days, declared in Presidential Decree No. 265-20 of July 20, 2020.
The request is set for discussion on April 7th at the Chamber of Deputies, which included it in its work schedule for the day.
The new period of emergency would begin to rule in the country on April 16th, according to what was established in the presidential communication.
“I request authorization to extend for a period of 45 days from April 16th, 2021, the state of emergency, expressly enabled for this type of situation by articles 265 of the Constitution and 10 of Law 21-18”, he says in the president’s letter.
The president points out in his communication that thanks to the curfew and the other social distancing measures adopted during the state of emergency, it has been possible to “exercise control over the disease, which is why it is necessary to maintain and modulate them while ensuring a gradual and safe economic reopening”.
The measure seeks to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
The Dominican Republic has lived under a continuous state of emergency since July 20th, 2020, by decree 265-20 signed by Danilo Medina in consensus with the then-elected authorities, headed by Luis Abinader.