What are we going to do when the state of emergency is lifted?

A potential relaxation of restrictions after May 15th, when the state of emergency ends, does not mean resuming life as it was before the pandemic, president Iohannis says

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Leyla Cheamil, 29.04.2020, 14:00

Following an increase in the number of infections with the new coronavirus in Romania, on March 16th the head of state Klaus Iohannis issued the first decree declaring a state of emergency for 30 days, which was subsequently extended until mid-May. What is going to happen after May 15th? In a long press conference held on Tuesday, the president announced that a decision would be made next week, whether the state of emergency would continue or be replaced by another administrative measure allowing some of the current restrictions to be maintained.

So authorities will make a decision depending on the evolution of the COVID-19 epidemic in the country. Klaus Iohannis warned that the danger had not passed, the peak of infection had not been reached and a premature relaxation might endanger all the good results obtained so far.

The head of state talked about what would happen after May 15th, when restrictions would start to be gradually lifted, stressing that relaxation did not mean resuming life as it was before the pandemic and citizens must take more responsibility. President Klaus Iohannis:

“Many restrictions will stay in force, meetings will not be allowed for groups of more than three people, and for a while we will still not be ale to go out, to a restaurant or a shopping mall. We wont even be able to leave the city, town or village we live in, unless we have a very good reason to do that.”

Experts keep stressing that we will not get rid of the virus and we will have to find a way to live with it, the president also warned. The big festivals will probably be cancelled this year, and, in the case of sporting events, if they are to be resumed, it is very likely games will be played with no audience attending. Also, protective masks will have to be worn in closed public spaces and in the public means of transport. Those who enter commercial, economic or state institutions will be checked for temperature, to prevent any sick person from entering the said units.

On the other hand, the production of certain medical equipment will have to be resumed in Romania, and a selection would be useful to establish those sectors that are essential for the national or European production of medical equipment, the president also said. The president believes that economic and production chains will be rethought, in order to avoid the manufacturing of each piece in each country, but the EU must make sure the facilities are there where strategic manufacturing is taking place.

“I am sure that there will be enough Romanian entrepreneurs who will see this opportunity and start selling materials that have not been produced in our country, for various reasons, such as protective masks”, the head of state also stressed. (M.Ignatescu)