Romania announces unprecedented restrictions to limit coronavirus spreading

The Romanian authorities will close all schools where even one coronavirus infection case is reported, the head of the Emergency Situations Department (DSU), Raed Arafat, announced on Sunday, according to Mediafax.

All events with more than 1,000 participants will be banned, while events with less than 1,000 participants need to be approved by the local authorities, based on a case by case analysis. Moreover, football matches will take place without spectators. It’s for the first time in the last 30 years when the authorities in Romania take such measures, Arafat said.

Visiting patients in hospitals will also be forbidden as well as the medical students’ access to hospitals. This measure is aimed at protecting patients and medical personnel, Arafat explained.

The measures entered into force on Sunday, March 8, and will apply until March 31, but the authorities could decide to prolong them if needed.

Two more cases of coronavirus infection were reported on Sunday in Romania, bringing the total number of cases confirmed so far to 15. A 42-year old woman in Bucharest and a 70-year old woman in Mures county were the latest cases confirmed on Sunday, Mediafax reported.

However, four of the 15 patients infected with the virus have healed and have been released from the hospital, according to the authorities.

On Sunday, there were over 12,700 people in self-isolation at home after returning from risk areas and 15 people under quarantine.

In related news, Wizz Air, the biggest air carrier operating in Romania, announced it canceled all flights from Romania to the airports of Treviso and Bergamo after the Italian authorities placed the Northern part of the country under quarantine to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The airline’s decision is valid until April 3.

Blue Air also canceled its flights from and to Milano for March 8 and 9 and said it would take additional measures after evaluating the situation.

Most cases of coronavirus reported so far in Romania have been imported from Italy, according to the authorities, which are considering limiting the flights to and from areas that are heavily affected by the coronavirus outbreak, according to Mediafax.

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(Photo source: Inquam Photos / Octav Ganea)