Information note

Announcement / Information

State of calamity: transition phase and return to economic normality.

May 4th, 2020

State of calamity: transition phase and return to economic normality.

Publication date: Monday, May 4, 2020

1. Our initial considerations

First of all, we once again offer a word of solidarity for you, your family, your friends and those closest to you . We replicate our sincere wishes that everyone remains well, without exception. We also appeal, once again, to follow the official recommendations of the health authorities and their sovereign bodies.

This Monday, May 4, 2020, we saw the acceleration of confinement measures and the entry into force of official measures for the progressive reopening of the Portuguese economy. With the end of the state of emergency and the option for a successive state of calamity, we are witnessing the beginning of a transition phase in Portugal towards the return to a “relative normality” social and economic.

Thus, the sovereign bodies of our Republic defined a strategy to lift the exceptional measures imposed to confine the population in Portugal. The exceptional confinement measures were defined by sovereign bodies in view of a situation of widespread danger to Public Health and the unpredictability of contagion and mortality rates resulting from the COVID 19 disease.

Taking into account the particular danger of a passive reaction on the part of public authorities, without taking proactive measures to react to Due to this rampant Public Health phenomenon, Portugal's sovereign bodies decided to declare a State of Emergency on March 18, 2020 and all the measures associated with it.

The decision to decree the State of Emergency, which took place for three consecutive periods, brought with it a set of measures exceptional cases that were defined proportionally and that preemptively prepared us for the magnitude of the "worst case scenario".

Fortunately, in Portugal and in this first phase of the pandemic, we were able to avoid the worst of all scenarios. However, we are far from having overcome the dangers of a new phase of mass spread of the COVID 19 disease and this same disease resulting in a new situation of increased contagion rates and consequent danger to Public Health.

Thus, as mentioned several times by sovereign bodies, in the face of a new situation of considerable increase in levels of contagion, the state of Emergency may be declared again and equivalent measures defined based on the same assumptions as on March 18, 2020.

2. How will our services be affected?

First of all, as we mentioned on March 21, 2020, our software products, digital services and data domiciliation remained and remains active within its regular normality. The regular operation of these services and products results from their characteristics and their very nature of operation, which do not imply face-to-face contact with our customers and users.

Pulsaris' face-to-face services were affected by operating rules defined internally by us and which were directly linked to legal norms decreed by health authorities and sovereign bodies during the state of emergency.

As of this May 4, 2020, the transition to the state of calamity brings with it a set of additional and complementary measures for social and health protection of our customers and users located in Portugal. Some of these measures are completely different in terms of limiting citizens' freedom of movement.

The progressive measures defined for social and health protection will certainly be updated during this new phase of reopening the economy, and we will comply and we will always safeguard all the measures that are updated by the sovereign bodies, always in accordance with what is defined by law in Portugal and in the territory of the European Union.

We may also, whenever the parameters of the law in Portugal allow it, exceed in its application the health protection measures that are applied in Portugal and in the European Union.

Thus, the new social and health protection rules, enacted by sovereign bodies, will be replicated in all our services and face-to-face operations. The application of these new official social and health protection rules include, by way of example and not only, face-to-face assistance, collection and delivery of equipment, work meetings, product demonstrations, among all other acts and operations that duly fit into what is defined and decreed by law.

Implementation of the new security procedures may, however, increase the deadlines for performing tasks and operations of a professional nature . Despite the procedures being properly integrated and incorporated, the increase in these same execution times will be applied proportionally in the accounting of work and execution periods.

The collection of IT assistance equipment will also comply with the application of equipment hygiene measures at the collection and disposal site an additional minimum period of 24 hours of quarantine at Pulsaris facilities. After external cleaning, the computer equipment will remain packaged in protective film and will be subject to a minimum quarantine period of 24 hours at its destination, counting from its arrival at Pulsaris facilities. The customer will always be informed of this increase in the delivery time of their IT equipment(s).

In-person operations and tasks, which include in-person IT assistance and beyond, will be carried out in accordance with the measures health measures decreed by sovereign bodies, which include mask protection, respiratory etiquette and social distancing, among other protective measures.

During the validity of health protection measures, peripherals of customers' IT equipment, namely keyboards and rats. Instead, technicians will carry their own peripherals, namely keyboards and mice, wrapped in disposable protective film. Technicians will follow official hand hygiene measures and recommendations during operations, namely regularly washing hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based solution.

The right to refuse to carry out any type of operation or professional task will always be reserved when they are not properly safeguarded and protection and health measures are guaranteed by the customer. These protection measures may include the type and sanitary characteristics of the client's facilities where any type of task of a professional and/or commercial nature is provided or carried out.

Finally, we will always take any additional social and health protection measures, and it is expected that, during this new transition phase, this document will be updated to reflect new protection standards and/or new security procedures in our in-person services.

Thank you again for your understanding.

We hope that we successfully overcome this new phase and our sincere appreciation for all the professionals and citizens affected for this Public Health crisis.

We are all still in this fight together.

♥