2 March this year The Sejm adopted a draft law on specific solutions for prevention, prevention and eradication COVID-19, other infectious diseases and their emergency situations.
The Act provides, among others, for the possibility of ordering remote work, parental care benefits in a specific case, the right of the Minister of Health to set maximum prices for medicinal products or to issue prescriptions by pharmacists.
Key assumptions of the Act
According to Article 3 The employer may instruct the employee to perform duties at a certain time at home.
Parents exempt from work due to the need to care for the child, for a period not longer than 14 the days, in the case of the closure of a nursery, a children's club, a kindergarten or a school to which the child attends, are granted the right to receive an additional welfare allowance.
Telecommunication network operators are required to send free messages to users, e.g. with warnings or advice on coronavirus control, at the request of the relevant services.
The competence of the voivods in extreme situations has been broadened when, for example, the use of means of transport, which are in the hands of other than public ones, must be forced.
Construction law has been suspended so that hospitals can be adapted by placing more beds in them.
The Act introduces the possibility to order the goods or services necessary to prevent COVID-19, without applying the provisions of the Public Procurement Law.
An important establishment of a law limited to 180 the days is to reduce the rigour as to airport checks for medical services.
The Minister of Education may temporarily suspend the functioning of schools throughout the country or part of the country in the event of a threat to the life or health of children and young people.
The Coronavirus Act also lays down, among other things, rules for the provision of healthcare services in connection with the spread of COVID-19 and the principles of their financing. It gives, among other things, the Minister of Health the right to cease by announcing maximum prices for certain medicinal products, medical devices and foodstuffs for particular nutritional uses, which can be used to prevent COVID-19. The Minister is to make these decisions in agreement with the Chief Pharmaceutical Inspector.
As of the date of publication of the Act, any pharmacist with the right to practice the profession may issue pharmaceutical prescriptions where the health of a patient infected with coronavirus is at risk.
When the state of epidemics and threats exceeds the ability of government and local governments to act, the government may, by regulation, identify the affected area and identify the area affected by the epidemic or epidemic threat and the type of solutions applied in this area.
The Council of Ministers was granted the right to establish by means of a regulation, for example, temporary restrictions on the activities of certain entrepreneurs, the obligation for sick and suspected persons to undergo medical examinations, the obligation to undergo quarantine, the order and the prohibition of residence in certain places.
The State budget may grant specific grants to the relevant local government bodies to support the implementation of tasks resulting from the rules on prevention and control of infections and human infectious diseases.’
The telecommunications network operators shall, at the request of the relevant services, send free messages to users, e.g. with warnings or advice on the fight against coronavirus.
It also provides for changes in the use of knowledge and qualifications held by soldiers in active military service to a greater extent than that resulting from their duties under the military speciality and military training.
It was also possible to use the money from the reserve to address and address the effects of natural disasters, including 40,000,000 PLN to finance the purchase of fire-fighting vehicles for fire-fighting volunteer units for combating COVID-19.
The tourism and transport industries have been particularly treated. In the event that the traveller resigns from the contract or organiser of tourism terminates the travel package agreement in connection with the outbreak, the entrepreneur shall be entitled to reimbursement of payments transferred to the Tourist Guarantee Fund.
one from the assumptions of the new bill is also that the Council of Ministers will present to the Sejm what three months report on the implementation of its provisions. It is worth remembering that the bill enters into force on the day following the announcement.
Comments and opinions
The bill met with criticism of Confederate politicians Freedom and Independence, who stated that it was self-defence of the government. They argued that even a month ago, the government claimed that Poland was well prepared for possible cases of illness in the country. Now the government changes around 30 Set the situation to adjust to the threat.
The law is well assessed by employers associated with Polish Confederation Lewiatan. – The Act, having an extremely cross-cutting nature, while ensuring the efficiency of management and financing of individual actions, can contribute to the smooth handling of the crisis situation - says Prof. Jacek Męcina, advisor to the board of directors Polish Confederation Lewiatan.
However, the government sees the need for change. The project’s explanatory memorandum states that “the regulations put forward address all situations where the threat of epidemics and spread of infectious diseases in humans is increasing and where they introduce the necessary mechanisms of action”.