Call for civic responsibility

The authorities have called on citizens to act responsibly amidst the growing number of COVID-19 infections

Eugen Coroianu, 09.07.2020, 14:00

Bucharest
authorities on Wednesday made repeated and persistent calls on the population
to observe health safety regulations, after an alarming soar in the number of
corona infections. The main reasons behind the latest increase include people’s
growing indifference in observing these measures. Some of these have been downgraded
to simple recommendations in the wake of a Constitutional Court ruling which
rated the legislation on isolation and quarantine under the states of emergency
and alert as unconstitutional. The Liberal Government has submitted a new law
to Parliament, where the Social-Democrats hold the majority, and whom President
Klaus Iohannis has asked to debate the law as an emergency. Klaus Iohannis
pointed out that the pandemic has been kept in check up until several weeks
ago, but things have taken a turn for the worse, for which both the authorities
and citizens share the blame. The President has called on people to wear masks,
observe social distancing and wash their hands frequently, adding that, should
the situation escalate, restrictions are likely to return. Klaus Iohannis went
on to say that the health system is currently coping with the number of new
cases, warning however against the limited number of beds in intensive care.
The Government doesn’t want to reinstate restrictions, but will take any
necessary measure, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said in turn. The Romanian
official said we are all equal in the face of this pandemic, criticizing a
number of campaigns in the public sphere aimed at making people believe the
virus does not exist. Ludovic Orban:

When you
get risk you actually risk endangering the people closest to you, because the
virus is transmitted to people you interact with the most. If you don’t care
about your own health and don’t believe the virus exists or is dangerous, then
you should care about your brother, your mother, your father, your child, your
friends and colleagues.

We have
reached a turning point, Health Minister Nelu Tataru said in turn, adding that
no further relaxation measures will be introduced until the number of new cases
goes down. Minister Tataru said that, after the Constitutional Court’s ruling,
30.000 people suspected of being infected with SARS CoV2 have left isolation
and approximately 1.300 are no longer in quarantine centers. On a visit to the
Black Sea coast, Nelu Tataru called on tourists to observe regulations related
to the pandemic, expressing hope a legal framework will be set in place by the
middle of next week, allowing the Government to introduce the appropriate
measures. People who don’t exhibit any symptoms or who request their medical
discharge should stay isolated at home for at least 14 days. Those who do feel
sick should report to emergency wards for an evaluation of their condition,
the Health Minister explained.

(Translated
by V. Palcu)