The COVID-19 Pandemic and the State of Emergency: Lessons from Portugal

The present chapter analyses the normative response of Portugal to the coronavirus crisis. As in other European Member States, the reaction to the pandemic was developed through a combination of enactment of the constitutional state of emergency with the statutory administrative emergency regime. Under both frameworks, there has been a strengthening of the executive at the expense of a parliamentary retreat. This chapter covers both responses to the pandemic and their shortcomings, mainly regarding the lack of democratic legitimation of the fight against the pandemic in face of a parliamentary circumvention and abdication. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

Collaborative mapping of the noise level in Guayaquil during COVID-19

The SARS-CoV-2 virus triggered a never-before-seen scenario worldwide. Ecuador declared a state of emergency to contain coronavirus transmission by applying social isolation policies and mobility limitations. During this period, noise pollution decreased in Guayaquil city. This study proposes the use of smartphones to collect noise data and generate soundscape maps of Guayaquil during different time slots. The results revealed traffic as the predominant type of noise, followed by vehicles, buses, and people´s voices. This article demonstrates the feasibility of crowdsourcing for the collection of environmental variables. © 2022 National Institute for Space Research, INPE. All rights reserved.

The Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights in the Coronavirus Pandemic in Germany

The coronavirus pandemic has been a great challenge for most constitutional states in many aspects. This will be illustrated in this contribution taking Germany as an example, with the focus lying mainly on the rule of law principle and fundamental rights, examined in light of the case law developed so far. Notably during the first lockdown, a lot of fundamental rights in Germany were massively curtailed. This is why this unprecedented situation was sometimes qualified as a "state of emergency” or a "corona-dictatorship”, given that the breadth, depth and duration of the encroachments on fundamental rights were, and in some cases still are, exceptionally great. Nevertheless, the following contribution demonstrates that such an approach is misplaced. The German Basic Law ("Grundgesetz”) does not provide for a state of emergency or any other exceptional provisions regarding the interventions in fundamental rights in times of crisis. The traditional model of the separation of powers has proven to be sufficiently flexible to meet the needs for even far-reaching encroachments on fundamental rights on the one hand, and to adequately control and react to these encroachments in accordance with the rule of law on the other. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

Executives During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Contradictory Trends

This chapter focuses on how the executives have adapted to the pandemic challenge since March 2020. To do so, it develops a comparative analysis of the role of the executives in facing the COVID-19 pandemic in three selected European jurisdictions, namely, Belgium, Germany, and Italy. An underlying assumption in this chapter is that executives, more or less inevitably, are crucial actors in major crises;still, it remains to be seen how these very crises impact on their structure and functioning. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

Social Work Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic—Challenges and Future Developments to Enhance Students' Wellbeing

As the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe, educational systems were forced to adapt to the new reality of online learning, causing practical academic specializations, such as social work (SW), to be severely affected. To highlight the perspectives of SW students during the pandemic, we used a mixed sociological approach that combined exploratory qualitative research (using the focus-group technique) with cross-sectional quantitative research. Participants who had both on-site and online SW studies before and after the COVID-19 outbreak were included in the study. The study was conducted during a period when almost all educational activities were held online. We aimed to investigate students' perceptions of the educational process during the pandemic, how their wellbeing was affected, and their perspectives on educational and professional development. Students identified advantages of online learning, such as discovering online learning tools, and disadvantages, mainly marked by concerns about their career path once practical activities were heavily limited by institutional measures and policies. Our conclusions suggest that in a post-pandemic context, universities should provide continuous feedback, integrate students' opinions into policies, offer material and technical support, facilitate access to high-quality resources, enrich the SW curricula with resilience programs, and organize peer-to-peer mentoring activities.

How did the 'state of emergency' declaration in Japan due to the COVID-19 pandemic affect the acoustic environment in a rather quiet residential area?

The COVID-19 pandemic caused lockdowns in many countries worldwide. Acousticians have made surveys to monitor how cities became quieter under the lockdown, mainly in central areas in cities. However, there have been few studies on the changes in the acoustic environment due to the pandemic in the usually quieter residential areas. It may be expected to be different from the effect in 'originally noisy' areas. Also, the effect could be different in Japan, because the 'state of emergency' declaration there was different to lockdowns elsewhere. Considering these circumstances, this article reports the results of noise monitoring and makes some observations on the acoustic environment in residential areas far from city centres, to provide an example of how the acoustic environment was affected by the state of emergency declaration due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. The results showed that the reduction of noise levels was somewhat less than that reported in large cities. Also, comparing the results after the cancellation of the state of emergency, the noise level increased again. However, observations of noise sources imply that a possible change in human behaviour may have also affected the acoustic environment.

Association of depressive symptoms with Geriatric Locomotive Function Scale score in community-dwelling older adults living in the state of emergency.

BACKGROUND: Under the state of emergency, it has been reported that the amount of physical activity among community-dwelling older adults has decreased significantly due to refraining from going out, and there are strong concerns about the Geriatric Locomotive Function Scale and deterioration of mental health. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether the depressive state before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic affected the 25-Geriatric Locomotive (GLFS) score during the COVID-19 pandemic among community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: The participants were 194 community-dwelling older adults (45 men, 149 women) with an average age of 75.5 ± 5.5 years who responded to a self-administered survey conducted three times (preliminary, second, and third) from before the 2018 COVID-19 pandemic to March 2021. Individuals with a score of ≥ 10 on the Geriatric Depression Scale 15 (GDS 15) were excluded. The survey items included the 25-question Geriatric Locomotive Function Scale (GLFS25), GDS 15, and other basic attributes. Those with scores of 5 to 9 on the GDS 15 and those with scores of 0 to 4 were assigned to the depressive symptoms (DS) group and the non-DS group, respectively. Statistical analysis was performed using two-way analysis of variance. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparisons between the groups. RESULTS: In total, 187 patients were included in the analysis, excluding 7 patients. GLFS 25 showed a significant increase in scores at the second and third time points compared with baseline, and a main effect was confirmed in both groups, with no interaction effect. The second time, the score was 10.0 ± 8.5 and 13.7 ± 10.5 in the non-DS and DS groups, respectively. The third time, the non-DS and DS groups scored 10.8 ± 10.5 and 14.9 ± 10.1 points, respectively, indicating a significant difference. CONCLUSIONS: Our results revealed that the increase in the GLFS 25 score in community-dwelling older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic was related to their DS during normal times before the pandemic. Evaluating such individuals and providing social support may effectively reduce the deterioration of the GLFS 25 score.

Evidence of policy learning in emergency declarations as communication tools in Australia.

Emergency declarations are important legal tools for the state to protect itself and its citizens during times of crisis. State of emergency declarations provide for extraordinary powers to be exercised to address an emergency or disaster. Emergency declarations present an opportunity to examine policy learning in crises, through the ability to examine emergency declaration instruments and the detail of post-emergency inquiries and reviews. This research briefly examines Australian law that provides for emergency declarations and places it in the context of theories of policy learning and change. Examination of two case studies reveals evidence of policy learning in emergency declaration practice in Australia. Evidence is uncovered of an emerging practice of using emergency declarations primarily or purely as tools to communicate the seriousness of an emergency situation. This policy learning has occurred both within and between jurisdictions, including the federal government. This paper also explores opportunities for future research on policy learning and emergency legislation, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the market value of Japanese gaming companies

In this study, we examine the short-term stock price reactions of Japanese gaming companies to events related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Using the event study method, we first estimate stock price reactions to the outbreak of the pandemic and the declaration of a state of emergency. We then perform multivariate regressions to investigate the factors affecting market responses. Our results demonstrate that the stock prices of Japanese gaming companies reacted negatively to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the initial negative effects were greater for mobile gaming companies and for companies with small sizes or low Tobin's Q. By contrast, the market has reacted positively to the declaration of the state of emergency, which perhaps drove more people to play games at home.

"Covid” Theft - A Solved Problem?

The article deals with criminal liability for the crime of theft during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Grand Chamber of the Criminal Division of the Supreme Court unified the case law in its March 2021 decision. First of all, it rejected the automatic application of the state of emergency, declared to combat the pandemic, as fulfilling an element of the qualified offence of theft of "an event seriously endangering human life or health, public order or property” (Article 205(4)(b) of the Criminal Code), and instead set out the requirement of a factual link between the act and the pandemic. However, a deeper criminal law analysis of the meaning of the qualifying facts and consideration of the constitutional context casts some doubt on the correctness of the Grand Chamber's opinion and subsequent case law. The aforementioned characteristic of the qualified offence can only be fulfilled in the event of an increased threat (expressed in the law) to the protected object (property) in relation to the specific form of the offence of theft. In the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, such a situation occurred during the application of certain emergency measures of the Government (based on a declared state of emergency), namely during a measure restricting movement between districts in relation to the offence of burglary (section 205(1)(b) of the Criminal Code) or during a measure ordering, in principle, a nationwide obligation to cover the respiratory tract in relation to the offence of pickpocketing (section 205(1)(d) of the Criminal Code). The conclusions of the article could also provide some stimulus for discussion on the interpretation of the bases of criminal liability and the drafting of the facts themselves. © 2023 Masaryk University. All rights reserved.

International Principles Governing States of During States of Emergency in The Inter-American System: The Colombian Case during the Pandemic

The purpose of this article is to carry out a theoretical-analytical analysis of the international principles that should govern as insurmountable limits of states of exception in the light of the inter-American system, analyzing the exceptional measures that have been adopted in Colombia, this will allow us to conclude that since the appearance of COVID-19 we are witnessing the collapse of the social and democratic rule of law, as every day we see how citizen guarantees yield to an exacerbated hyper-presidentialism, which with disproportionate power imposes its authority over the fundamental pillars of democracy and respect for human rights. © 2022, Universidad de Talca. All rights reserved.

Effect of Hybrid Workstyles on Productivity of Workers in an Activity-Based Office

This study investigated the effect of hybrid working on the productivity and environmental satisfaction in an activity-based office. Activity-based working is a work style in which workers choose where and when they work. Offices that introduced this concept are known as activity-based offices. To prevent the transmission of COVID-19, hybrid working has become common in Japan after the declaration of the state of emergency. We conducted three surveys in an activity-based office, before, during, and after the state of emergency. The results showed that hybrid working improved workers' perceived productivity. However, the results were influenced by whether the workers valued working with team members at the same location. Workers who valued on-site collaboration saw their productivity decline at home since they found it difficult to communicate. In contrast, others reported higher productivity at home since they found it easier to concentrate, mainly due to the sound environment. © 2022 17th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate, INDOOR AIR 2022. All rights reserved.

The Role of the Colombian Congress during the Covid-19 Pandemics: Political Control, Public Control and Legislative Activity

In a state of emergency context, the constitutional system grants the President of the Republic of Colombia the power to adopt measures through the issuance of legislative decrees to solve the crisis generated by the emergency (legislative delegation). However, the scope of this power finds its limits in the controls established in the Constitution of Colombia. One of these controls is the political control exercised by the Congress. This involves evaluating the timeliness and appropriateness of the measures adopted by the Government. Nevertheless, the powers granted to the Government do not imply the suspension of the Congress' powers. On the contrary. During a state of emergency, the Congress is required to play an even more active role to avoid abuses of power. The objective of this article is to evaluate the role of the Congress during the first and second declaration of a State of Emergency in Colombia due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Human Rights of Older Persons in States of Emergency: Approach of the Council of Europe

The objective of this paper is to evaluate the law of the Council of Europe (CoE) regarding protection of the human rights of elderly in crisis situations using the examples of the armed conflict in Ukraine and COVID-19. Given this, the paper is divided into two main parts. The first part analyses the response of the Council of Europe bodies to the measures influencing the rights of elderly introduced by the governments of the CoE member states in relation to COVID-19. The second part is devoted to the specifics of the legal regulation of the human rights of the elderly during armed conflicts, applying the example of the war in Ukraine. The Conclusions focus on the comparison of the protection of older people in the two mentioned crisis situations, i.e. with regard to the war in Ukraine and in connection with COVID-19. The author is of opinion that the rights of older persons received more attention in times of the health crisis than during the armed conflict. © 2023 The Author.

The notion of exception in the Spanish constitution of 1978: Theory and practice

This article deals not only with the constitutional and legal norms as regards the right of exception in Spain, but also with their application concerning the four cases which have occurred so far (This work covers up to 15 December 2021.). Furthermore, the article highlights the gap between regulations and reality or how the mentioned right has been misapplied in most of the cited cases, while providing the underlying reasons. © The Author(s), 2022. All rights reserved.

Thinking Resistance, "Emergency,” and Kismet: A Response to Dylan Rodríguez's Presidential Address

The battles over masking only amplified preexisting culture and race wars in which entrenched libertarianism and neoliberal individualism evaded the economic and existential precarity caused by degraded social welfare and state health care. Counterterrorism projects such as Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) introduced by Barack Obama have relied on recruitment of community members, social service providers, and educators for self-surveillance and self-regulation of political expression and community organizing: a liberal counterterrorism approach for "reformist reform.” 5 Nabeel Abraham and Will Youmans provide important analyses of the "Containment System” in response to the War on Terror, based on "entrepreneurial opportunism” (Rodríguez) by Arab and Muslim American educators, professionals, and community leaders (including in the nonprofit industrial complex), some of whom collaborated with federal and state agencies.6 Academic Containment Reckoning with these critiques from critical Arab American or Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) studies requires grappling with the long history of anti-Arab/Muslim state policies of surveillance, policing, and mass incarceration that preceded 2001. The Zionist lobby and anti-Palestinian organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League have increasingly deployed the language of tolerance and civility to tar critics of Israel with charges of anti-Semitism.7 These liberal strategies, illustrating Rodríguez's argument, can be more damaging than frontal attacks on the Palestine justice movement because the language of racism is harder to challenge

Botswana's response to the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19): Lessons for disaster preparedness and management introduction

The success of any government's efforts to sustainably reduce the risk of and/or manage disasters depends to a large extent on the people's knowledge, beliefs, attitudes and perceptions of the risk posed by the disaster. This study assessed the government and communities of Botswana's response to the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19). The survey utilised a stratified three-stage probability sampling design to select respondents according to strata constituting primary sampling units (PSUs). Kruskal–Wallis tests were used to evaluate differences between respondents' knowledge, beliefs, attitudes and perceptions of COVID-19 according to their localities (urban, villages and rural areas). Results show that even though Botswana was not prepared for a national public health disaster of the magnitude of COVID-19, its timely adoption of the disease preventive strategy seems to have weathered the storm for some time (66% urban, 64.9% villages, 37.1% remote areas;p < 0.003). [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Development Southern Africa is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Labor rights in times of pandemic: a socio-legal reflection for Ecuador

In March 2020, the World Health Organization qualified COVID-19 as a global pandemic, a fact that caused changes in the lifestyles of the population, and the incorporation of governmental measures, under the motivation of public calamity, which had repercussions in the acceleration of the bankruptcy of companies, the increase of unemployment, hasty regulations and many actions executed to the detriment of the right to work. The objective of this article is to reflect on how people now unemployed and facing a situation of unforeseen poverty due to the pandemic can exercise in Ecuador the rights that the State has guaranteed them according to the Constitution of the Republic and how the political -administrative measures adopted by the government have affected the quality of life of the people by being dictated without certainty of the national context. Through a descriptive analytical study, it was mainly concluded that in Ecuador there is a lack of knowledge and lack of administrative records of formal, informal and other categories of workers not considered to date and that its policies are therefore not congruent with the reality so that they effectively guarantee the development of the right to decent work.

From the exception to the rule: Exceptionality as a way of governing Colombia, 1961–2022

In Colombia, the state of exception is a legal and political mechanism in which the head of the executive branch extends its powers temporarily under the pretext of averting a serious confrontation to the constitutional order. However, despite its exceptional nature, the reality is that within the national legal and political culture, the use of this figure is rather normal. Thus, this article aims to assess the way in which exceptionality has become recurrent, through states of exception and other figures that allow a margin of maneuver to the extraordinary executive power and outside the radar of constitutional controls. Likewise, the text examines how the governments have taken advantage of the notion of exceptionality as a form of government, subtly prolonging the periods of exception to circumvent the constitutional controls imposed on them. To this end, the article focuses in particular on what has recently happened with the health emergency caused by COVID-19 in the country. For this purpose, historical, contextual and comparative analysis tools were used. © 2023, Onati International Institute for the Sociology of Law. All rights reserved.

Corid-19 and religions freedom in Portugal. The failure of a state of law stress test

Under the pretext of covid-19. the collective dimension of the freedom of worship was suspended in Portugal, through a declaration of state of emergency, between March 19 and May 2 2020. This was a gross violation of art.19. paragraph 6. of the Constitution, according to which the state of emergency cannot affect the freedom of religion. The very declarations and renewals of the state of emergency were not based on the legally required scientific advise, as the National Public Health Council (the Government's advisory body on public health matters) was silenced. In fact, lockdowns had several exceptions, but none contemplated religious activities, which was a subversion of the constitutional hierarchy of fundamental rights. When there was no state of emergency, the Government continued to limit fundamental rights through administrative regulations, invoking impertinent legal rules. The reaction of the public authorities to the covid-19 situation constituted a social paradigm shift, without previous scientific support, against the rale of law and with increasingly tragic effects. It was a trend with totalitarian tones-and, as it is well known, hostility to the free exercise of religion is typical of totalitarianism. © 2022 Iuris Universal Ediciones. All rights reserved.