Health protection on indigenous lands is renewed
The National Congress published today (20), a law that renews the Union's obligation to install and maintain health barriers in indigenous areas to control the transit of people and goods in order to try to prevent the spread of covid-19 among the residents of these communities.
Safety measures against covid-19 specific to indigenous areas have been renewed since October 2020, when the Planalto Palace issued the first provisional measure (MP) on the subject, in response to demands from the Federal Public Ministry (MPF), indigenous entities, and the National Congress itself.
Like previous legal texts, the current law establishes that the protective health barriers should be composed primarily of federal civil servants, and may, at the request of the Ministry of Justice and Public Safety and with the approval of governors and mayors, be integrated by civil servants of the states, the Federal District and municipalities, including military personnel.
The National Indian Foundation (Funai) will be responsible for planning and operationalizing the control actions of the sanitary barriers and also for paying the per diems due to state and municipal employees assigned to meet the request for reinforcement of the Ministry of Justice and Public Safety.
The law will be in effect until next December 31, and the Minister of Justice and Public Safety may issue complementary acts to enforce it.
According to the Indigenous Missionary Council, an entity linked to the National Conference of Brazilian Bishops, March of this year, at least 1,289 Indians died as a result of complications from covid-19.
