RO Govt. plans to extend the state of alert
The Government is working on the decision to extend the state of alert, prime minister Ludovic Orban said.
“You know very well that the state of alert is introduced for 30 days and is extended through a Government decision for a period of maximum 30 days. We are working on the decision to extend the state of alert. As far as we are concerned, we do not wish to introduce additional restrictions. We want things to turn out well, the number of infections to drop, and, gradually, as this number decreases, to go back as much as possible to a normal activity,” Orban said, quoted by Agerpres.
Asked about a potential quarantine in Bucharest, the PM said the decision would be taken by public health specialists.
“It is a decision taken by public health specialists, epidemiologists, infectious disease specialists; I can’t speculate on a date,” he said.
The PM explained that a decision to place Bucharest or other large cities under lockdown “is difficult to make because there are very many aspects related to the quarantine.”
“We do not want to get there; our objective is to stop the increase in the number of cases. Bucharest had a marked trend, but it didn’t fit the pattern of other large European cities,” he said.
The Government last extended the state of alert on October 15. In mid-October, the National Committee for Emergency Situations updated the list of restrictions aimed at limiting the spread of Covid-19 and added new ones to the list. Private events that involve many people, such as wedding and baptism parties and anniversaries, were banned. This measure applies in the whole country, regardless of the incidence of Covid-19 cases in each region. It applies to both indoor and outdoor events of this kind.
New restrictions were introduced throughout the country starting November 9. The new measures are the equivalent of a soft lockdown and will apply for the next 30 days. Schools and kindergartens will be closed throughout the country, and masks will be mandatory in all public spaces, indoor and outdoor. People's movement is restricted during the night (23:00 to 5:00) with some exceptions. Shops and large stores will close at 21:00. Parties of all kinds are banned.
Update: Romania enforces soft lockdown measures as of Monday
(Photo: Gov.ro)
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