As the number of coronavirus cases keeps going up in Romania, the Ministry of Interior (MAI) has shared a list of recommendations for responsible social behavior in preventing the spread of coronavirus.

The guide includes a total of 15 recommendations:

- Avoid crowded areas where you are exposed to direct contact and/or interaction with a large number of people (such as public gatherings, queues, high traffic areas, recreation areas)

- Limit any direct contact with other people (avoid shaking hands, hugs, kissing of the cheeks or hands, touching the faces with the hands). As for the people you live with, touch them only after you’ve washed your hands  

- Avoid touching surfaces that are frequently touched by others (door handles, handrails or elevator buttons)

- Maintain a safe distance of about 1.5 m from other people you meet (if you are on public transport try not to stand in front of other people and clean your hands as soon as possible after your trip)

- Try to use alternative routes or means of transport (such as bikes or electric scooters) to avoid crowded areas; if possible, change your commute time

- Avoid travel to countries with a high number of COVID-19 cases and discourage the return to the country of people from high-risk areas or from countries with a high number of cases (if you do travel to a country exposed to the novel coronavirus, when you return you might have to be placed under 14-day quarantine/isolation at home)

- Limit the use of banknotes and coins and use card/phone payments and online payments instead

- Work from home if you have this option

- Respect the personal hygiene rules recommended by the authorities: wash your hands frequently (for minimum 20 seconds); use paper towels to dry your hands; avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth without washing your hands first; cough and sneeze in your elbow or in a tissue; disinfect often the surfaces with which you come into contact, both at home and at work; ventilate the rooms where you work several times a day; wear a mask only if you have cold or flu symptoms

- Keep in mind that not all people infected with COVID-19 show symptoms (cough, fever, difficulty breathing)

- Avoid, as a priority, the exposure of the elderly (over 65 years) and those with low immunity/ underlying medical problems to other people with flu or cold symptoms and to crowded areas (statistics showed that the novel coronavirus can cause serious illness, especially in the case of older people or those with underlying medical problems such as high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes)

- Alert the authorities if you have information that a person came in contact with a confirmed patient or if a person returned from an affected country (red or yellow area) and is not in self-isolation at home

- Inform your family doctor immediately if you have traveled to areas affected by coronavirus, even if these areas were not on the list of areas under alert at the time (if you cannot contact your family doctor, call the Public Health Directorate in your county or call 112 if there’s no other option)

- Stay home if you have flu or cold symptoms (cough, fever, difficulty breathing) and call your family doctor for advice; going to the emergency medical units should not be the first thing you do (if you do have the virus you risk spreading it; it’s better to stay home so that you can be transferred to a hospital in safe conditions)

- If you are in self-isolation at home, strictly follow the recommendations of the authorities, don’t leave your home during the 14 days, don’t receive visitors and don’t get in close contact with any persons who bring you food or products (those who fail to respect this measure risk fines of RON 20,000 and even criminal prosecution)

The full guide of the Interior Ministry (in Romanian) is available here.

newsroom@romania-insider.com

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