Coronavirus in Romania: Number of cases reaches 217

Update: On Tuesday evening, March 17, Romania had 217 cases of COVID-19 infection, out of which 19 infected persons were reported as recovered. There were 3,373 people under institutionalized quarantine and almost 19,000 people under self-isolation at home, according to data released by the Strategic Communication Group.

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The number of coronavirus cases in Romania has gone up to 184 by the morning of Tuesday, March 17, after 16 new cases were reported since the afternoon of March 16, the Strategic Communication Group of the Interior Affairs Ministry (MAI) said.

Of these, three patients are admitted in intensive care units, in stable condition, while 16 patients have been declared cured and were discharged – 15 patients were discharged in Timișoara and one in Bucharest. Three other patients are to be discharged today from the Matei Balș National Institute of Infectious Diseases, taking the number of those declared cured to 19.

The new cases were recorded in Iași (7), Suceava (2), Neamț (2) while Ialomița, Mureș, Botoșani, Bistrița Năsăud and Vrancea saw one case each. The patients are aged between 21 and 65.

By March 16 at 18:00, 3,708 coronavirus tests were performed, 503 more than in the previous day, when 250 such tests were done. After the tests on Monday, 29 coronavirus infection cases were found, G4media.ro reported. The authorities report the number of coronavirus tests done in the country once a day, at 18:00.

A total of 3,282 people are currently under institutionalized quarantine in Romania. Another 16,610 people are under home isolation and medical monitoring.

At the same time, the authorities opened legal cases against 36 people for undermining efforts to combat diseases, an action punishable according to the country’s Penal Code (art. 352).

Since yesterday, when the emergency state was declared, some 28,000 MAI employees - police officers, firemen, gendarmes and border police officers – were deployed for various activities, MAI said. The firemen and the staff of the Emergency Medical Service SMURD undertook 42 transport missions for 153 people, taking them to various hospitals or quarantine centers in the country. Furthermore, over 10,000 policemen, 4,500 border police officers and over 7,000 gendarmes undertook missions ordered by the leadership of MAI.

Currently, 162 tents have been set up for medical triage, to serve the streamlining of traffic at border points, and support the requests for additional quarantine spaces.

(Photo: George Calin/ Inquam Photos)