On June 16, the Executive enacted Decree 269 extending the constitutional state of emergency due to the ‘public calamity’ for an additional 90 days, to control the increase in coronavirus cases. It should be noted that the state of emergency has been in effect since March 18. In other news, the Minister of Health Jaime Mañalich resigned and was replaced by Enrique Paris.

In a state of emergency, the president is able to restrict people’s freedom of movement. In this way, over the last three months, he has been legally able to restrict meetings in public spaces, limit transit and motorized movement, establish quarantines and curfews, and order the participation of the Armed Forces in assistance work.

Gonzalo Blumel, the Interior Minister, assured that the daily curfew currently in force from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. will be maintained and after his meeting with President Piñera and the Chiefs of Defense, declared that this measure seeks to “strengthen necessary checks and controls to ensure the lockdown and related sanitary measures are effective.”

In other news, the newly-appointed Minister of Health, Enrique Paris, is a pediatrician and toxicologist, a member of the COVID-19 Social Board. Regarding the pandemic, he said that his plan seeks to give a key role to the doctors’ consulting rooms, including the power to deliver medical licenses and coordinate medical residences.