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Application of measures of emergency situation

Passed 13.03.2020 No. 77
RT III, 14.03.2020, 1
Entry into force 13.03.2020

Amended by the following legal instruments (show)

Due to the emergency situation declared by the Government of the Republic Order No. 76 “Declaration of an emergency situation in the administrative territory of the Republic of Estonia” of 12 March 2020, the Government of the Republic decides:

1. Under § 31 (1) and (3) of the Emergency Act, a restriction on the freedom of movement is imposed in educational establishments in order to suspend regular studies in educational institutions as of 16 March 2020 and to introduce distance learning, including:
1) relevant internal information sessions shall be promptly held in all basic schools, upper secondary schools, vocational educational institutions and institutions of higher education and pupils and students shall be given all study materials necessary for distance learning;
2) the Government of the Republic or the person in charge of emergency situation shall make a separate decision concerning measures to be applied in respect of studies of students with special educational needs;
3) whether preschools and childcare establishments are open and their organisation of work shall be decided by the managers thereof;
4) recreational activities and provision of hobby education shall be suspended, unless these are possible through distance learning, and the activities of youth centres and youth camps shall be suspended, and the organisation of training of drivers of power-driven vehicles, driver training and training of drivers carrying dangerous goods shall be suspended, unless this is possible through distance learning or by using a simulator or means that allow keeping of distance or if training of drivers of power-driven vehicles, driver training, training of drivers carrying dangerous goods or emergency vehicle driver training is provided to a serviceman or if emergency vehicle driver training is provided to a police officer, a rescue servant, an assistant police officer or a voluntary rescuer;
[RT III, 10.04.2020, 3 – entry into force 09.04.2020]
5) the measures referred to in sub-clauses 1) through 4) shall apply until this Order is changed and the need for these measures shall be assessed no later than after every two weeks.

2. The restriction provided for in clause 1 does not apply to research and development activities in universities and research institutions.

3. Under § 32 (1) of the Emergency Act, all public gatherings, film screenings, night clubs, shows/performances, concerts and conferences and sports and exercise events are prohibited from 13 March 2020 and under § 31 (1) of the Emergency Act, visiting museums and other exhibitions is prohibited.
[RT III, 24.04.2020, 4 – entry into force 24.04.2020]

3¹. The restriction provided for in clause 3 does not apply to outdoor sports and exercise events provided there are no more than ten participants in a group and the restrictions on the freedom of movement provided for in clause 1 of the Prime Minister’s Order No. 45 of 24 March 2020 are complied with and the organisers of such sports and exercise events ensure the availability of disinfectants. Outdoor training of championship league teams in team sports and candidates for Estonian adult sports teams is allowed, taking into account the international competition rules for the sport, and in that case the restrictions on the maximum size of a group provided for in the first sentence of this clause and the restrictions provided for in clause 1 of the Prime Minister’s Order No. 45 of 24 March 2020 are not applied.
[RT III, 08.05.2020, 12 – entry into force 07.05.2020]

3². The restriction provided for in clause 3 does not apply to visiting museums and other exhibitions, provided the following requirements are met:
1) the restrictions on the freedom of movement provided for in clause 1 of the Prime Minister’s Order No. 45 of 24 March 2020 are complied with;
2) in the case of group visits there may be no more than ten visitors in a group;
3) the service provider has ensured the availability of disinfectants;
4) in rooms open for the public, the service provider has ensured wet cleaning of surfaces subject to frequent touching after every 2 to 4 hours;
5) interactive displays are closed or the service provider has ensured their wet cleaning after each use or the service provider has made disposable gloves available to the visitors and has ensured the safe handling thereof after use;
6) the service provider does not hand out free physical information materials;
7) the service provider does not organise creative work or workshops with shared means of work.
[RT III, 05.05.2020, 11 – entry into force 11.05.2020]

3³. [Enters into force on 15.05.2020]

3⁴. The restriction provided for in sub-clause 4) of clause 1 does not apply to the organisation of driving instruction within training of drivers of power-driven vehicles, driver training and training of drivers carrying dangerous goods, provided the following requirements are met:
1) only the instructor and learner are in the vehicle and neither of them show any symptoms of the coronavirus causing the COVID-19 disease;
2) the availability of disinfectants must be ensured in the vehicle for driving practice;
3) after each driving lesson the organiser of the training organises the cleaning of the surfaces that the learner touched while behind the wheel.
[RT III, 05.05.2020, 11 – entry into force 05.05.2020]

3⁵. The restriction provided for in clause 1 does not apply to the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences upon conducting repeat final examinations at the Police and Border Guard College. Repeat final examinations shall be performed in a scattered manner and every part of the examination shall be taken by up to two students at a time.
[RT III, 05.05.2020, 11 – entry into force 05.05.2020]

3⁶. The restriction provided for in clause 3 does not apply to indoor training with the consent of the Ministry of Culture for athletes who are at least candidates for Estonian adult sports teams and if the organiser of the training along with the owner or possessor of the relevant sports site has ensured the availability of disinfectants.
[RT III, 05.05.2020, 11 – entry into force 05.05.2020]

3⁷. The restriction provided for in clause 3 does not apply to the conduct of public religious services and other public religious rites provided the restrictions on the freedom of movement provided for in clause 1 of the Prime Minister’s Order No. 45 of 24 March 2020 are complied with and the availability of disinfectants is ensured.
[RT III, 05.05.2020, 11 – entry into force 10.05.2020]

4. Under § 31 (3) of the Emergency Act, a restriction on the freedom of movement is imposed on passengers concerning going on a ferry sailing on the route Tallinn–Stockholm–Tallinn for the purpose of a pleasure trip.

5. Under § 31 (1) of the Emergency Act, the following restrictions on the freedom of movement are imposed:
1) visiting hours in social welfare institutions and hospitals are prohibited;
2) visiting hours in penitentiary institutions are prohibited.

5¹. Supervision over compliance with the requirements for the organisation of driver training as set out in sub-clause 4) of clause 1 and in clause 3⁴ is exercised by the Road Administration and the Police and Border Guard Board, and supervision over compliance with the requirements set out in clauses 3³ and 3⁵ through 3⁷ is exercised by the Police and Border Guard Board.
[RT III, 05.05.2020, 11 – entry into force 05.05.2020, partially according to the entry into force of each provision referred to.]

6. Broadcasters and electronic communications undertakings shall publish the Order promptly in unaltered form and free of charge.

7. The Order takes effect upon signing.

This Order establishes specific measures for the protection of the life and health of people and overriding public interest, said measures being essential for preventing the spread of the virus. The reasons and considerations are set out in the explanatory memorandum to the Order. The explanatory memorandum to the Order will be published on the website of the Government of the Republic.

Failure to duly comply with measures of emergency situation will prompt the application of the administrative coercive measures set out in § 28 (2) or (3) of the Law Enforcement Act.

This Order can be appealed against pursuant to the procedure provided for in the Code of Administrative Court Procedure.