The government to ease restrictions for Romania’s elderly people

In Romania, where the state of emergency is in force until May 15th, authorities have issued a fresh military ordinance

Corina Cristea, 28.04.2020, 14:00

The
relaxation after May 15th
will be a gradual one, Interior Minister Marcel Vela announced on
Monday while presenting the most recent decisions made by the
authorities in Bucharest meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
The new measures are part of a new military ordinance, the tenth so
far, and are addressing people over 65, who had been allowed to stay
outdoors only for two hours in order to limit their potential
exposure to the deadly virus.

They
could leave their households for shopping and other activities only
between 11 and 13 hours, but now, as Marcel Vela explained, the
elderly will be able to go outside between 11 and 13 hours as well as
between 19 and 22 hours for the same purposes.

Marcel
Vela:
They may leave households to buy essential goods for the needs of
their families and pets; they may leave homes for justified reasons,
to take care of or to accompany a minor or a child, to provide
assistance to other people, old, sick or handicapped or to attend
funerals. Short trips are also allowed around the household for
individual physical activities (with the exclusion of course of
collective physical activities) and they are also allowed to walk
their pets.

Minister
Vela has also announced the extension until May 15th
of flight interdiction to and from 13 countries.

Marcel
Vela:
We
need to extend the interdiction of flights to and from Spain for 14
days, starting April 28th,
when the previous interdiction expires. Then we extended flight
interdiction for Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, the USA, the UK, the
Netherlands, Turkey and Iran, Italy, France and Germany, until May
15th.

The
latest military ordinance has provisions for the employees of the
Romanian Post Office, who shall leave correspondence only in the
mailbox, with the exception of legal documents.

Compliance
with present regulations will be leading to a single conclusion -
normality, Minister Vela has underlined urging people to have
responsible behavior – I know it was difficult, I know it is still
difficult, but we all have the same objective: to strengthen
protection against this enemy, which proved to be a real challenge
for an entire planet.

In
the meantime, the authorities in Bucharest are working on a plan
aimed at jump-starting Romania’s economy, where private companies
have an essential role. Although they enjoyed the support of state
through a series of measures such as guaranteed credits or funds to
cover the costs of temporary lay-offs, they are still in need of
support, which involves significant financial resources.

(translated by bill)