The military parade usually scheduled for December 1, Romania’s national day, will not take place this year, in keeping with the measures aimed at preventing the spread of Covid-19, PM Ludovic Orban said.

“That parade will not take place; without the parade, there will be no reason for people to gather and watch it. There will be a celebration under much stricter conditions that take into account the maximum number of people that can attend an open-air event – 50 people. There are rules we will follow closely,” Orban said.

The format of the December 1 celebration has not been decided yet. 

At the same time, the PM said the New Year’s Eve parties fall into the category of the private events currently banned under restrictions to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2.

“From my perspective, the New Year’s Eve party can be considered a private party, just like weddings, baptisms, and other types of private events. People can stay at a hotel, but private parties cannot take place,” the PM said when asked to deliver a message to those who already booked an end-of-the-year holiday at mountain resorts.

The PM urged people to postpone private parties and explained that the risk of virus transmission at these events is “huge.”

“They should not attend anymore, we can postpone a bit the wish to have fun, or we can have fun in a way that doesn’t endanger our health,” he said.

He also reminded Romanians who plan to return to the country for the winter holidays that those arriving from countries with infection rates higher than Romania’s will have to enter a 14-day quarantine. 

Romania reported 5,324 Covid-19 cases on Sunday, November 1, bringing the total to 246,663. So far, 175,975 patients have recovered, while the number of deaths reached 7,067. A total of 910 patients were admitted to intensive care units, of the 11,489 admitted to hospitals in the country.

(Photo: Sergiu Iosub/ MAPN Facebook Page)

simona@romania-insider.com