Update: Prime minister Florin Citu announced that the new restriction would come into force on Sunday. “The decision will be published today in the Official Gazette, but, given the short time that economic operators would have to prepare, […] we decided that these measures will take effect starting Sunday, March 28,” he said on Facebook.

The Romanian authorities have decided to introduce tighter restrictions in an attempt to limit the spread of COVID-19. The new rules were proposed by the National Emergency Committee (CNSU) and are due to take effect on Friday, immediately after their publication in the Official Gazette, Digi24 reported.

In localities with incidence rates of over 7.5 COVID-19 cases per thousand inhabitants, the night curfew will start at 20:00, two hours earlier than the rest of the localities. The measure will also apply in areas where the incidence rate is higher than 4 cases per thousand inhabitants, but only on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

Also, the shops will close starting at 18:00 on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays in localities with an incidence rate of over 4 per thousand inhabitants. The measure will apply throughout the week in areas where the coronavirus infection rate exceeds 7.5 cases per thousand inhabitants.

At a local level, additional restrictions, including the quarantine if needed, can be enforced by local relevant authorities.

Romanian officials reported 6,651 new cases of COVID-19 infection on Thursday, March 25, bringing the total count to 919,794. More than 825,200 patients were declared cured, while the death toll has risen to 22,719.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

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