COVID-19 pandemic in Romania
[5] On 12 January, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei, China, who had initially come to the attention of the WHO on 31 December 2019.
Upon arrival on the Romanian territory, all asymptomatic travelers from the affected areas, respectively Hubei, the 11 localities in Italy, and any remaining passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship will go directly to the quarantine, for a period for 14 days.
[19] On 8 March, the Head of the Department for Emergency Situations, Raed Arafat, announced a ban on all indoor or outdoor activities involving the participation of more than 1,000 people (these numbers were subsequently changed, see below).
If necessary, prices may be capped on medicines and medical equipment, on strictly necessary foods and on public utility services (electricity and heat, gas, water supply, sanitation, fuels, etc.).
[50] Until 17 March, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs facilitated the return to the country for 137 Romanians who were abroad, either as tourists, in transit, or in medical emergency situations and who were directly affected by the measures adopted by the states in which they were.
[75] The next day, Raed Arafat posted an article on his official Facebook page, later picked up by the national media and other news outlets, encouraging citizens to wear protective masks, even if homemade.
[76] Prime minister Ludovic Orban, on the other hand, expressed doubts concerning not only the safety of homemade improvisations, but also about the necessary logistics for successfully implementing such a large scale operation, inasmuch as the demand would greatly outweigh the extant offer currently available on the market.
[80][81] On 9 April, an eighth Military Ordinance came into effect, reinforcing previously adopted measures, prohibiting the export of certain basic foods, banning the commerce of majority share packages in the National Energetic System, recommending that residential buildings be equipped with sanitary products and that their stairways and elevators be periodically disinfected, and making provisions for various professional categories, such as fishing, apiculture, car service and dealership, the food market, pharmaceuticals, cross-border workers, social services, medical staff etc.
[83] On 21 April, over 300 new cases, representing two-thirds of the staff and patients of a local neuropsychiatric hospital, were reported in a village from Cornu Luncii commune in Suceava county, not belonging to those already placed under strict quarantine.
[84] On the previous day, Pimen Zainea, the Romanian Orthodox archbishop of Suceava, was flown into the Matei Balș Institute for Infectious Diseases in Bucharest, after testing positive for COVID-19,[85] where he would pass away a month later.
[89] On 22 April, President Iohannis issued a press release, stating the government's intention to adopt, by mid-May, official legislation requiring citizens to wear surgical masks in public.
[90] That same day, Timișoara, Romania's third largest city, made the use of both facial masks and protection gloves mandatory in enclosed public spaces, including transportation.
[100] Images with dozens of people singing and dancing, in Vama Veche, without taking into account the distance rules imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, have appeared on social networks.
[105] The Ministry of Health has published the epidemiological analysis by counties and localities which shows the incidence rate of coronavirus infections per thousand inhabitants, essential data for the beginning of the new school year.
[107] The Romanian authorities were criticized for not delaying the 2020 legislative elections past 6 December,[108] as well as for the closure of agri-food markets and the lack of testing compared to other European countries.
President Iohannis announced on 2 December that agri-food markets in closed areas would reopen beginning "the end of the current week (at the time of the issuing of the press release)".
[117] On 18 January, the National Committee for Emergency Situations had decided to exempt the people who have gotten the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at least 10 days prior to their arrival in Romania from countries considered high-risk.
In a press release issued by President Klaus Iohannis on that day, he announced that schools will reopen on 8 February, based on local incidence rates, after a review of the epidemiological situation in Romania and of what other member states of the European Union do.
[123] On 27 February, the Minister of Education Sorin Cîmpeanu proposed that students in the VIII and XII grades mandatorily go physically to school in localities in the red scenario, as they attend national exams during summer.
[132] The next day, the National Council of Students said it disapproves this idea due to the high-risk of infection in these localities and asked the Ministry to adopt a measure in which students/parents have the freedom to choose between physical and digital learning.
[134] More counties and localities have entered the red scenario,[135] in which several restrictive measures were taken, including closure of schools for students in the 8th and 12th grades, restaurants, cafes, gambling halls, cinemas and cultural institutions.
[142] On 23 March, the Minister of Education Sorin Cîmpeanu announced the modification of the 2020–2021 school year structure so that students would be on holiday between 2 April and 4 May, to reduce mobility amid the third wave of infections.
This included closure of gyms in localities where the incidence rate exceeded 4/1,000 inhabitants, while on Friday and at the weekend, the night curfew would begin at 20:00, with activity of economic operators allowed until 18:00.
[150] The pressure on the Romanian healthcare system that reached its maximum capacity in the fourth wave led to the authorities asking the European Union for help through its Civil Protection Mechanism.
[152] Despite the severity of this wave compared to others, the Romanian government had chosen to take a slightly more relaxed approach, unwilling to close the economy even partially in any way, shape or form.
[239] The sharp decline in output led to deteriorating labor market conditions, with deeper effects noted for younger workers and women: job vacancies fell between Q1 and Q2 2020,[239] while the unemployment rate increased to 5.4% in July from 4.1% in February.
[241] According to the autumn economic forecasts published on 5 November by the European Commission, Romania's economy would record a contraction of 5.2% in 2020, less severe than initially estimated, thanks to investments and construction works.
[249] The Government made available a single resource on the national public television channel TVR, a show called Teleșcoală (Teleschool), in which children could observe mathematics, Romanian, biology, history and geography classes.
[269] In a government meeting on 5 November, President Klaus Iohannis announced a series of partial quarantine measures, including the closure of all schools nationwide and the transition to online education for the next 30 days.
[282] On 16 March 2020, President Iohannis signed an emergency decree, giving authorities the power to remove, report or close websites spreading fake news about the COVID-19 pandemic, with no opportunity to appeal.
Translation: Access without a protective mask to the means of transport is prohibited. Attention! Wearing the mask in the means of transport is mandatory! Keep your social distance. For your own safety, please observe the following rules: - wearing a mask is mandatory during the trip. - keep a distance of at least 1.5 m between you in the means of transport, in the stations and at the points of sale of tickets and season tickets - please do not use the seats marked in red - please avoid congestion in the means of transport. Thank you for understanding, your health is important to us!
