Amendments to exceptional and temporary measures concerning the COVID-19 pandemic

Legal Alert no. 139

On December 30, 2020, it was published on “Diário da República” the Decree-Law no. 106-A/2020, which amends the exceptional and temporary measures concerning the COVID-19 pandemic, of which we highlight the following:

I. Social Protection measures in the disease
The attribution of COVID-19 sickness allowance to employees and self-employed workers foreseen in article 20 of the Decree-Law no. 10-A/2002, of March 13, as amended, is extended until June 30, 2021.

II. Exceptional regime for situations of delay in payment of rents due under urban housing lease contracts
Establishes the inapplicability of the Law no. 4-C/2020, of April 6, to the situations of decrease in the income of the landlord’s household as well as the extension of the financial support granted to tenants and, in case of students who do not earn any work income, to guarantors who experience a decrease in their household income, and of the suspension, reduction or exemption on rents due to public entities for rents due until July 1, 2021.

III. Exceptional regime for the creation employment relationships in the health care area
The scope of the Decree-Law no. 89/2020, of October 16, is extended to the employment relationships created under the provisions foreseen in paragraph 3 of Article 6 of the Decree-Law no. 10-A/2020, of March 13, as amended, that complete eight months term until March 31, 2021.

IV. Exceptional and temporary measures aimed for the practice of acts by means of remote communication
The Decree-Law no. 16/2020, of April 15, as amended, is extended until December 31, 2021. This Decree-Law established exceptional and temporary measures in response to the pandemic of the COVID-19 disease, aimed to allow the practice of acts by means of remote communication in regard to: (i) urgent cases at Justices of the peace; (ii) registration procedures and acts; (iii) procedures carried by IMPI, I.P.

This Decree-Law entered into force on December 31, 2020.

To access the full text of Decree-Law no. 106-A/2020, of December 30, please click here.