The pandemic takes a worrying turn
The Romanian Health Minister urges people and business operators to observe the protective measures in place.
Roxana Vasile, 20.07.2020, 14:00
The medical crisis triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic is deepening in Romania. According to official data, dozens of deaths and hundreds of new infections are reported every day. As expected, the number of patients in the intensive care units has also increased, getting close to 300. In the five months since the start of the crisis, the total number of Romanians who tested positive to the virus has reached 38,000, of whom over 60% have recovered and more than 2 thousand have died.
At present Romania reports maximum 13 thousand infected people at a population of 19 millions. Against this background, Health Minister Nelu Tataru has said he is woried that the health protection measures in place, such as wearing face masks in enclosed public spaces and practicing social distancing, are not observed in the mountain resorts on Prahova Valley and on the Black Sea coast. In his opinion, holidaymakers should be aware of the fact that once they return home, they can quickly spread the virus throughout their community. This is the case in counties such as Arges, Dambovita, Buzau, Braila and Galati, where the number of new cases has sharply increased. Nelu Tataru counts on the law on quarantine and isolation, passed last week.
Health Minister, Nelu Tataru: “We are in a quite difficult period. We have two difficult weeks ahead, which we can hopefully manage given that we have the quarantine and isolation law in force as of Tuesday, but we need the cooperation of business operators, whom we have allowed to reopen their businesses in the context of easing the restrictions, and of the population, that should observe the conditions of this relaxation. There will be restrictions, depending on the evolution of things. However, we do not want restrictions, but we want everybody to act responsibly and respect the rules. Otherwise, we will have to carry out more checks in the upcoming period.”
All over the world there are smaller or bigger problems caused by the pandemic. Over 600 thousand people have died since December. The United States is among the most affected countries in the world, with over 140 thousand deaths, followed by Brazil, The UK, Mexico and Italy. US President Donald Trump said that he believes the coronavirus will disappear. We can only hope he is right.
(Translated by Elena Enache)
