China coronavirus: Romania assembles monitoring committee, no cases recorded in the country

All people coming into Romania after travelling to China over the past two weeks are being monitored, Adrian Streinu Cercel, the manager of the Matei Balș Infectious Diseases said after the January 27 meeting of the inter-ministerial committee for the monitoring and management of potential infections with the coronavirus.

Cercel explained that no cases were recorded on Romania’s territory and urged people to keep calm, Hotnews.ro reported.

The risk for the illness to reach Romania is low, Cercel also said, adding that the Matei Balș institute has the capacity to diagnose and treat potential patients, if the need arises.

Furthermore, he ruled out not having enough hospital beds and said that, if cases do occur in Romania, the issue is to diagnose the first one.

In his turn, health minister Victor Costache said that a special line for travelers coming from China was set up on international airports and that a database with those who returned from China recently is available.

If the need arises, besides Bucharest, there are infectious diseases centers in Iași, Târgu Mureș, Timișoara and Sibiu where patients could be treated, the minister explained.

The Health Ministry previously announced that it was in contact with a local folk music ensemble from Mioveni who performed in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, and is due to return to Romania on Tuesday, January 28. The members of the 25-people ensemble will be given a medical leave and they will not be brought back in the community for the following 12-14 days, the health minister explained.

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