The Institutional Legal Clinical Chair at the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH), which operates under the institution’s Vice-Rectorate for Institutional Relations, has coordinated the production of the Basic Legal Guide to COVID-19, which aims to clarify the issues and terminology that are currently most concerning to people who are non-experts on legal matters. Their guide provides information in the form of questions frequently asked about different aspects of occupational, contractual, economic, and family matters following the declaration of the State of Emergency in Spain and the establishment of confinement measures.

This guide is fluid and dynamic, in the sense that it incorporates new issues and concepts as new measures are adopted. It also allows people who have questions or doubts to address them by writing emails to catedraclinicajuridica@umh.es.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to, among other measures, the closure of places of work, suspensions of contracts, and limitations to the freedom of movement on public roadways. In order to clarify these issues and terminology for people who are non-experts, a group of faculty representatives and students who form part of the working group at the Institutional Legal Clinical Chair of the UMH have prepared this document.

The Basic Legal Guide to COVID-19 has been prepared based on decrees that the Spanish government has issued, fundamentally Royal Decree 463/2020, of 14 March, which declared the State of Emergency to manage the health crisis caused by COVID-19; Royal Decree 465/2020, of 17 March, which amended the aforementioned decree; Royal Decree-Law 8/2020, of 17 March, on urgent and extraordinary measures to combat the economic and social impact from COVID-19; Royal Decree-Law 9/2020, of 27 March, which adopted complementary measures in occupational contexts to alleviate effects deriving from COVID-19; Royal Decree-Law 10/2020, of 29 March, approving recoverable paid leave for workers who are not self-employed and who do not provide essential services, in order to reduce mobility by the population within the context of the fight against COVID-19; and Royal Decree-Law 11/2020, of 31 March, which adopted urgent complementary measures in social and economic contexts to combat COVID-19.

The Basic Legal Guide to COVID-19 guide may be consulted at this link, located within this section, as well on the UMH Institutional Legal Clinical Chair.