Life Sciences
São Paulo’s Municipality recommends the use of homemade masks by the population
updated on Jul 13 at 11:33 am
On April 16, 2020, City Decree No. 59,360/2020 was published, which recommends the use of face protection masks by the population of the Municipality of São Paulo as a complementary means of preventing COVID-19.
The measure suggests that the general population should give preference to homemade masks when, exceptionally, it is necessary to leave home, and not to masks manufactured for hospital use. These should be directed as much as possible to assistance and healthcare services and other essential services.
On April 3, 2020, ANVISA released guidelines on facial masks for non-professional/non-hospital use, in line with the speech by the Ministry of Health and World Health Organization. ANVISA recognized that “non-hospital facial masks do not provide complete protection against infections, but they reduce their incidence.”
Furthermore, ANVISA recommends that masks for non-professional use, when produced for commercial purposes, adopt the parameters of the Brazilian Association of Technical Standards (ABNT).
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PROVISIONAL MEASURE LIMITS THE WIDE APPLICABILITY OF RESTRICTIONS BY STATE RULES
updated on Mar 23 at 02:00 pm
On March 3, 2020, Law No. 13,979/2020 (Coronavirus Law) was amended by Provisional Measure (MP) No. 926/2020.
The MP, among other measures, includes new paragraphs in section 3rd of the Coronavirus Law, limiting the normative power of states and municipalities. The objective was to provide greater legal certainty to businesses related to essential services and activities for the population:
- Restrictive measures should guarantee the exercise and functioning of public services and essential activities.
- Such services and activities are defined by the Decree No. 10,282/2020, published on the same day of the MP. The Decree regulates the Law No. 13,979/2020, and its standards must be respected by the state and municipal authorities when enacting the locally applicable measures.
- Isolation, quarantine and mobility restrictions, “when they affect the performance of public services and essential activities, including those regulated, granted or authorized, can only be adopted through a specific act and provided that they are adopted in prior articulation with the regulatory body or with the granting or authorizing power”. For instance, measures that restrict essential activities regulated by ANEEL, ANS, ANVISA, ANP, ANAC, ANTT, ANTAQ or SUSEP, must be previously aligned with the corresponding regulatory agencies.
- It is forbidden to restrict the movement of workers that may affect the functioning of public services and essential activities, as well as cargo of any kind that may result in a shortage of necessary supplies for the population.
The MP also changes the rule on restriction of locomotion. The federal or state health authority may impose restrictions on intercity or interstate transportation, provided that it is based on a technical recommendation from ANVISA (new wording of section 3, item VI).
State rules restricting mobility, which are not based on ANVISA's recommendation, should be revised.
In addition to these changes, the MP also regulates public purchases made to face the COVID-19 crisis.
The MP No. 926/2020 entered into force on the day of its publication (March 20, 2020) and will lose its effectiveness if it is not converted into law within 60 days, renewable for an equal period.