CLOSURE OF OPERATIONS PR.

GOVERNMENT OF PUERTO RICO Department of Economic Development and Trade

March 17, 2020

TO THE ENTIRE INDUSTRIAL, COMMERCIAL AND BUSINESS SECTOR

Hon. Manuel A. J. Laboy Rivera

Secretary of Economic Development andTrade

Circular Letter No. 2020-02

APPLICABILITY OF THE CLOSURE OF OPERATIONS IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR IN ACCORDANCE WITH ADMINISTRATIVE BULLETIN NO. OE-2020-023

On March 12, 2020, Hon. Wanda Vázquez Garced, Governor of Puerto Rico, issued Administrative Bulletin No. OE-2020-020, in order to declare a state of emergency in the face of the imminent impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on our island. Through it, a state of emergency was declared throughout Puerto Rico regarding the COVID-19 outbreak, to carry out all efforts and implement all necessary measures to safeguard the health, well-being and public safety of our citizens, to minimize or avoid the risk of any situation that poses or poses a threat to public health or safety.

Subsequently, following the aforementioned emergency declaration, on 15 March 2020, the Governor of Puerto Rico issued Administrative Bulletin No. OE-2020-023, establishing additional measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Puerto Rico (the "Executive Order"), including, among other measures, the implementation of a curfew applicable to all citizens starting at 9:00pm on Sunday, 15 March 2020, and it shall be in force until 30 March 2020, in accordance with the rules laid down in that Executive Order. In addition, government operations were closed, except for those related to essential services, as well as the closure of all shops in Puerto Rico from 6:00pm on March 15, 2020, until March 30, 2020, with the exception of those dedicated to the sale of food to the tal only through the service-out model, or delivery, including prepared or wholesale food, medicines or medical equipment, pharmacies, supermarkets, gas stations, banking institutions or aging care centers, or those related to food distribution chains, medicines, medical items, or fuel. The Reference Executive Order further states that the total closing order will apply to shopping malls, cinemas, nightclubs, concert halls, theatres, playrooms, casinos, amusement parks, gyms, bars or any similar venue or event to encourage the gathering of a group of citizens in the same place.

Pursuant to that Executive Order, persons authorised by the Same Order for work and/or emergency reasons shall be excluded from the restrictions. It is further provided that the provisions of the Executive Order shall not apply to:

1. (1) persons identified as employees of public or private security agencies, at the state or federal level;
2. (2) health professionals;
3. (3) Personnel working in hospitals, pharmacies, pharmaceuticals, bioscience facilities or

health centres;

1. (4) staff working in the distribution chain of exempt industries

(health, fuel, food, including animal feed and agricultural products),

from origin to consumer-sales establishments;

1. (5) personnel working with essential utility infrastructure (AAA, ESA,

Telecommunications);

1. (6) staff assigned to call centers for direct health services and other

exempt industries;

1. (7) direct patient service personnel and medical offices, pharmacies, PBMs or health care

pharmacies and hospitals by the health insurance industry (no

marketing and sales thereof)

1. (8) personnelwho workairports and airports;
2. (9) membersofthemedia, radio,TV,press.

With regard to the above exceptions, the Executive Order states that these persons shall be authorized to transit on public roads on their way to work and return home as necessary.

This Circular Letter from the Department of Economic Development and Trade (DDEC) is issued in order to provide additional guides to the industrial, commercial and business sector on the applicability of the Executive Order and exemptions from it. It is enacted under the Reorganization Plan No. 4-1994, as amended, and the above-mentioned executive orders and will be effective immediately, until otherwise available, and will be applicable to the entire private business sector.

Applicable Exemptions

• Operations related to health, food, fuel, essential utility infrastructure, national security/security, financial and banking institutions, and related goods and services and supply chains shall be exempt from the Executive Order with respect to closure.
• In order to help the private sector identify situations where Executive Order exemptions apply:

o Pharmaceutical Health 

 §

§ Dispositivos médicos (manufactura y venta)

§ Biotecnología y facilidades de biotecnología agrícola§  Manufactura de suministros para los hospitales

§ Hospitales

§ Laboratorios clínicos

-2-

• §  Salas de emergencia
• §  Clínicas de servicios médicos
• §  Farmacias
• §  Dispensarios de cannabis medicinal 
• §  Facilidades de cultivo y procesamiento de cannabis medicinal 
• §  Centros de salud
• §  Bancos de sangre
• §  Clínicas veterinarias (solo para venta de alimentos y emergencias) 
• §  PBM o manejadores de farmacias
• §  Industria de seguros de salud para servicio directo al paciente y a 

medical offices, pharmacies (marketing and sales of medical

the same)

• §  Servicios funerarios (recogido o traslado de cadáveres como parte de los 

essential services, embalmings, burials, in which consideration should be taken to the co-existing of no more than 10 people in the same place and without wake and cremation)

o Food 

 §    Food   

 §   

 §     

 §       

       Distribution Wholesale  food sales Sales of food to the detailed Sales of prepared foods (servi-cart, "carry-out" and delivery) Hydroponic farms Agricultural activity,§ §    including food and medicines for animals

o Fuels (processing, sales and distribution)

• §  Refinado: gasolina, diesel, "jet fuel", "AV-Gas", gas propano, gas butano, 

natural gas, kerosen, among others

• §  Mezclado (“intermediate fuels”, “blended”) 
• §  Producción, distribución, venta al por mayor, venta al detal (gasolineras) 

o Infraestructura Crítica   

 § Critical  Infrastructure Repair, maintenance and rehabilitation of EsA, AAA,

telecommunications, the road system, solid waste and biomedical,

ports, airports   or Homeland Security/Security

• §  Aeroespacial
• §  Productos y servicios esenciales para el Departamento de la Defensa

(DoD); (excluding textile manufacturing)

• §  Agencias de guardia de seguridad privado 
• §  Asistencia en la carretera, podrá transitar cuando se solicite por 

undersigned or law enforcement officer

or Goods and Services

• §  Cuido de envejecientes
• §  Centros de llamadas (“call centers”) para servicios directos de salud y 

other exempt industries

• §  Compa?ías de seguridad pública, privada, estatal y federal 
• §  Servicios de circuito cerrado y alarmas
• §  Prensa incluyendo sus “call centers”, camiones de distribución y 

porters in residences and businesses

• §  Agencias de viaje operando de manera remoto por medio de llamadas (“call centers”) 
• §  Servicios de reciclaje
• §  Servicios de mantenimiento y limpieza de los lugares exentos y 

residence and condominiums

• §  Recogido de basura (privado o público) 
• §  Servicios bancarios, cooperativas de crédito y ahorro para realizar

personal or commercial transactions than permitted by the OCIF

during this emergency period (deposits, withdrawals and payments)

• §  Servicios de entrega de paquetes

o Chain

• §  Empresas que provean bienes o servicios a los sectores exentos del 

closure, limiting its operations to supply such supplies

• §  Suplido de artículos para los sectores exentos del cierre
• §  Logística y transporte: los corredores de aduana, el servicio de 

consolidation of maritime or land cargo, storage and distribution services to third parties, in accordance with regulations established by the Department of Finance and the Ports Authority and the distribution of detergents, disinfectants and products hygiene

? Exempt activities will continue their operation under regular hours, including those operating 24/7. However, each exempt company must make adjustments to the contingency plan, i.e. comply with measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, prevent employee conglomeration and seek to perform remote work while possible. 

We recognize the economic impact that this unprecedented situation will have in Puerto Rico. Our commitment is to be able to provide them with the necessary help to restore operations after exceeding this new challenge. We will continue to keep up to date with the latest developments and expert recommendations. We also invite you to stay informed through the                         

CDC's

https://www.cdc.gov,and WHO's e-page,    

https://www.who.int.

 The better informed and prepared we are, the better we can cope with the arrival of this disease. 

If you have any questions, write us down to [email protected]. Similarly, if you understand that your trade should be exempted for health and national security reasons, please send an e-mail document explaining the relevant circumstances. However, in what your business is evaluated, it must remain closed.

We express our willingness to serve you as a liaison with other government agencies. Any additional requests are at your service.

Our best wishes for health for all of you and your loved ones.

supplies