The Romanian president has again called on citizens to observe protection rules

Romanian president Klaus Iohannis has said the measures taken during the state of emergency proved effective and has again called for unity

Daniela Budu, 20.05.2020, 13:50

We
are on the right path. We only have to continue firmly and wisely and
unite our efforts to overcome this crisis the Romanian president
said on Tuesday, when in his fresh appeals called on the Romanians
and institutions to continue to observe the measures aimed at
preventing the coronavirus pandemic.

After
talks with government officials
on the latest economic developments, the current situation in the
country’s healthcare system and the relaxation measures during the
state of alert Romania is currently seeing, Iohannis has pointed out
that if the rules imposed by the authorities to curb the pandemic are
going to be constantly violated, we are going to see new outbreaks
and a new wave of contamination.

The
Romanian official has called on the local authorities to play a
firmer role in the communities under their administration. Iohannis
has recalled the last two difficult months adding that it would be a
shame to waste what was gained with such big sacrifice during the
state of emergency.

Klaus
Iohannis:
We
see a lot of irresponsible people acting in bad faith, spreading fake
news and all sorts of conspiracy theories in order to make people
doubt the severity of the situation and to spread distrust. Suchlike
approaches, which are toxic because they are ignoring evidence, and
are eroding the state authority, can also affect solidarity and
social responsibility, which are crucial in our attempt to overcome
this difficult period. When we were united and responsible citizens
together with experts and government members we were able to save
lives and curb the spreading of the new coronavirus. Dear Romanians,
let’s not waste what we have achieved with such big sacrifices.

The
head of the Romanian state has underlined that shortly after the
state of alert was instated a large number of Romanians chose to
abide by the rules while public institutions and private companies
‘got well prepared’ to resume activity, taking all the necessary
measures for protecting people’s health.

On
the other hand Klaus Iohannis has
said
the strategy for Romania’s development in the coming years will be
mainly focusing on innovation, competitiveness and massive
infrastructure investment. Iohannis explained that we cannot speak
about starting all
from
scratch as economic
activity
was not completely halted in the past months and there were sectors
of the economy, such as constructions, functioning at full throttle.

According
to the latest data issued
by Eurostat, Romania was leader at European level in this respect
with a 2% growth as compared to the similar period of the past year
whereas the general evolution at the EU level was negative. According
to the National Institute for Statistics, constructions and trade
largely contributed to the slight growth Romania saw in the first
quarter of the year.

(translated
by bill)