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Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers on July 21, 2021
The Council of Ministers met, at the Government Palace, in Dili and, after analysing the presentation of the national epidemiological situation, given by the Situation Room of the Integrated Centre for Crisis Management, the Council of Ministers decided to propose to His Excellency, the President of the Republic, Francisco Guterres Lú Olo, the renewal of the state of emergency, for another thirty days. Given that the determining causes that justified the declaration of the state of emergency and its renewal remain in place, in order to prevent and neutralize the risks of propagation of new strains of SARS-CoV-2, and to protect public health and the National Health System’s response capacity, the Government proposes to the President of the Republic that, with the renewal of the state of emergency, the suspension or restriction of some fundamental rights and guarantees be allowed.
The Council of Ministers approved the Draft Decree-Law, presented by the Minister of Finance, Rui Augusto Gomes, which aims to create financial support in the event of death or disability as a result of inoculation with the COVID-19 vaccine. This draft Decree-Law had already been subject to deliberation at the Council of Ministers Meeting on June 23rd, 2021, however due to the introduction of some changes in the final drafting phase, it become necessary to submit it to a new deliberation of the Council of Ministers. Although the risk of serious side effects caused by the COVID-19 vaccine is quite low, which is largely offset by the benefit of vaccination for the general population, this legislative initiative aims to prevent situations, certainly very exceptional, where more serious side effects are observed, providing due compensation to affected persons. The Decree Law defines that in the event of incapacity of less than 30% caused by the vaccine against COVID-19, a compensation of one thousand US dollars will be attributed, if the incapacity is between 30% and 70%, a value of 2100 US dollars will be attributed; and in the event the vaccine causes incapacity higher than 70%, an amount of 7000 US dollars will be attributed. In the event of death as a result of vaccine inoculation, a compensation of 10,000 US dollars will be awarded. The verification of the situation of death or disability, and its relation to the vaccine against COVID-19, is performed by medical evaluation, and it is up to the Ministry of Health to recognize the right this support. END