The Portuguese ambassador to Angola admitted this Friday that the retention of workers in Portugal compromises the functioning of some companies operating in Angola and called for the return of specialists considered “essential” for the economy.
Many Portuguese who work in Angola and traveled to Portugal in March were unable to return to Luanda after the African country closed airspace on 20 March to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We have been aware of a growing concern of Portuguese companies and entrepreneurs in these last three, almost four months of state of emergency and state of disaster”, declared Pedro Pessoa and Costa to Lusa, stressing that, “for many of those who left and want to back, the sustainability of the business itself is at stake.
Health fence to Luanda is prolonged, travel uncertainties worry Portuguese working in Angola
For the diplomat, “exceptional times also need exceptional evaluations” and “the message” that has been transmitted to the Angolan authorities goes in that direction.
“What I would like is for it to be understood that there are cases where companies need specialized technicians who are in Portugal,” he said, giving as an example builders who have works considered to be a priority in their portfolio and who need specialized technicians to move forward.
“If they are not here, the work will not progress and this is complicated for the company itself”, he stressed.
In addition, there is the possibility of “business breakdown” due to the absence of managers with negative impacts on the Angolan economy.
The feedback that “I have received in some situations is complicated, they are necessary people here so that the business can continue”, under the risk of economic activity being greatly affected, he continued.
“There are a series of businessmen who left three months ago and now say: ‘if I don’t come back, my company in Angola is able to close’ and when it closes, it is bad for everyone because they are companies that employ many Angolans and this will create unemployment, which is not good for anyone, “said the official, pointing out that the embassy” is attentive to the impact of this situation on business and economic activity “.
Pedro Pessoa e Costa underlined that it is not a return of all who left and want to return, but of a group of “fundamental people, considered essential for the country’s work and economy”Who will have to submit to the guidelines of the Angolan authorities.
The ambassador underlined, in this regard, the need for the “strict commitment to quarantine rules” and the “seriousness of the people and collaborators who are considered essential to maintain the activity of companies”, co-responsible for companies and employees
In addition to having to undergo a pre-shipment test, which he considered important for the protection of everyone, “they have to quarantine rules that are in effect, which is the institutional quarantine in one of the hotel units approved for this purpose by the Angolan Ministry of Health ”, he recalled, referring to the legislation in force.
The ambassador stressed that there is already an exception for flights that transport workers from the oil and mining sectors and argued that there are other priority sectors.
“Imagine that there is a Portuguese company that won the work of a hospital and needs, for some specialties, to have some employees here”, he exemplified, stressing that these people will have to be included in a “very credible list” of workers “essential for the companies and for Angola “, suggesting that” a prior assessment of companies in the identification of these people “will be necessary.
Pedro Pessoa e Costa recognizes that in view of the current situation, with a daily increase in the number of cases of Covid-19, national authorities “have some reservations”, but reinforces that “there are other sectors, other than oil, that are also important for the present and post-pandemic future of the country”.
Promising that the Portuguese embassy is “attentive and available” to support contacts with the authorities, the diplomat pointed out that this situation will have to “be worked out in great balance and in the interests of all, fundamentally the interest of Angola”.
The Angolan government decided that passenger travel to and from abroad from Luanda will be reestablished on June 30, although subject to confirmation by health authorities, the Covid-19 test being mandatory up to eight days before the date of the according to a joint executive decree published on 12 June.
The decree regulates, in the context of the declaration of the Situation of Public Disaster for the prevention and risk of spreading Covid-19, the return to the country of nationals and foreigners, holders of residence permit, refugee card, investor visas, work, study and temporary stay.
The document states that the Covid-19 test must be administered by entities duly certified by the health authority of the country of origin.
Regarding the option of institutional quarantine in a public center or in a hotel for this purpose, the decree provides that it is defined when scheduling the trip and may be subject to confirmation by the health authorities, if the passenger chooses to stay in a hotel.
On Thursday night, a new joint executive decree was published, extending the sanitary fence in the province of Luanda, from midnight (0:00) on June 26, 2020 to 23:59 on 10 July 2020, which should imply a postponement of international travel.
The announcement was made on the same day that Angola announced 15 new infections by Covid-19, the highest number of cases since the beginning of the records, overcoming the barrier of 200 infected.
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