State of alert extended once again
The Government approved a 30-day extension of the state of alert in Romania
Roxana Vasile, 09.04.2021, 13:50
The government of Romania decided to extend the state of alert in the country by another 30 days, beginning on Tuesday, April 13, to contain and mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic.
In other words, all the measures already known to Romanians remain in place, from mandatory face covering both outdoors and indoors to physical distancing. Indoor restaurants, theatre and cinema halls are also closed.
A night curfew is in place between 10 pm and 5 am. In places with infection rates above 4 per thousand, the curfew begins at 8pm at the weekend, and shops close at 6pm. These measures apply throughout the week in places where the infection rate is above 7.5 per thousand. Gyms are also closed if the Covid infection rate is over 4 per thousand, to be opened when the figure drops below 3.5.
The only concessions made by the authorities have to do with the religious holidays celebrated these days. After Catholic Christians were able to enjoy an almost normal Easter holiday and Jews in Romania were able to attend the Passover ceremonies, Orthodox Christians will also be able to travel without restrictions on Resurrection night, celebrated on 1 May, unlike last year when church attendance was prohibited. Muslim believers were not overlooked either, with the government allowing them to move freely on the night of 8 May when they celebrate the Ramadan.
On the other hand, traditionally 1 May is the start of the holiday season in Romanias Black Sea resorts. Given that for the past year the hospitality industry has suffered severely because of the Covid-19 containment measures, this year the government decided that seaside resorts may open, at a maximum 70% of their accommodation capacity and in full observance of relevant regulations, just as it is the case at present with mountain resorts.
The interior minister Lucian Bode has recently travelled to Constanța, the biggest Romanian city on the Black Sea coast, to warn police and gendarmes that their mission during the Easter and 1 May weekend will be particularly difficult, as lots of tourists will be coming to the seaside. Health is paramount, the minister cautioned, so the police must do everything in their power to ensure restrictions are observed. (tr. A.M. Popescu)
