A state of emergency is a government declaration that because of some crisis, the normal workings of politics and society in a jurisdiction have been suspended. This can alter government operations, order specific actions by individuals and suspend most civil rights (basic human rights such as freedom of speech, religion and the right to life are generally protected).
A presidential proclamation can invoke a state of emergency in the United States. The president then has broad powers to deal with the situation, such as declaring a federal disaster and providing financial assistance. The president may also ease regulations on organizations, governments and people dealing with the emergency.
There are different levels of state of emergency in some countries. For example, in Spain there are three degrees: alarma (alarm or alert), excepcion (exceptional circumstance) and sitio (siege). During dictatorships, long-lasting states of emergency were often used to suppress political opposition and allow the state to control many aspects of the economy.
A state of emergency can be lifted once the danger has passed, or when it is determined that the emergency is no longer relevant to the health and well being of the population. For example, on 21 October 2020 the Prime Minister of Thailand declared that a state of emergency was being lifted in the city of Bangkok after the 2020 Thai protests. The last declaration of a state of emergency in the UK was in 2023 after extreme Red Weather Heatwave warnings that threatened to cause public health emergencies.
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