The Social Democratic Party (PSD), the biggest party in Romania, decided to postpone the Congress scheduled for this Saturday, February 29, after the first case of coronavirus infection was confirmed in Romania.

The Social Democrats were supposed to elect a new leadership at this Congress. Former prime minister Viorica Dancila resigned from the position of leader of the Social Democratic Party at the end of November 2019 after her major defeat in the second round of the presidential elections. Marcel Ciolacu, speaker of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies, was appointed interim president of PSD.

“Given that the first case of infection with COVID-19 on the Romanian territory was confirmed, and that a significant part of the delegates to the PSD congress are involved in the local management of the measures required to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection, the interim leadership of PSD decided to postpone the Congress scheduled for Saturday, February 29,” the party announced.

PSD also said in its press release that “the decision to postpone the Congress also took into account the recommendations of the medical experts, according to which the meetings involving a large number of participants from all over the country are not recommended in this period.”

The Social Democrats also announced on Thursday evening, February 27, that the meeting of the National Executive Committee (CEx), scheduled for Friday, was canceled, Digi24 reported.

The first case of coronavirus infection in Romania was officially confirmed on Wednesday evening, February 26. The patient was transported to the Matei Bals Institute in Bucharest. He is a man from Gorj county, who came into contact with an Italian diagnosed with coronavirus who recently visited Romania. The 71-year old Italian was in Romania between February 18 and February 22, and was diagnosed after he returned to Italy. He visited his wife’s family in Craiova and had several meetings in Craiova and Gorj county.

This is the only confirmed case in Romania so far. A total of 99 suspected patients have been quarantined in institutionalized centers and 7,174 persons were isolated at home to be monitored for a period of 14 days, according to official data.

newsroom@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea)