The Romanian government is carefully preparing the reopening of schools, to avoid the risk of students and teachers getting infected with the new coronavirus, prime minister Ludovic Orban said on Thursday, August 20.

He also said that funds worth EUR 175 million allocated by the government will be used to reimburse purchases made by local authorities and schools for online education and protective materials.

"We have allocated a total of EUR 175 million. We reimburse local authorities and schools for purchases of tablets, laptops, webcams, smart boards, for the purchase of health protection materials," Orban said, according to Agerpres.

The prime minister also said that he had talks with representatives of the telecom market regulator ANCOM and the fixed and mobile operators in Romania to identify ways to extend the network coverage.

"We are preparing the opening of schools very carefully. We are trying to do everything possible in times of pandemic, to minimize the risk of illness for children and teachers," Ludovic Orban concluded.

In related news, Alexandru Rafila, Romania's representative to the World Health Organization (WHO), said that schools should resume activity in one way or another. He argued that there has to be a balance between protecting the children from the new coronavirus and their normal development, as they need to interact with each other and with teachers.

He also said that it is normal for parents to have concerns, but that it's not possible to prevent the transmission of the disease completely.

"Parents should know first of all that we are talking about a communicable disease, and it is not possible to completely avoid the transmission of this disease. It's something we have to say very clearly. Just as children catch a cold, the flu, all sorts of infections, they can also get the new coronavirus," Rafila said at local news channel Digi24, News.ro reported.

He also said there must be a parent-child-school partnership and that everyone must be protected, not just students.

The new school year is set to start on September 14 in Romania.

newsroom@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Gov.ro)