The state of alert in Romania, to be extended

The state of alert must be extended while lifting certain restrictions, President Klaus Iohannis says

Leyla Cheamil, 10.06.2020, 14:00

After consulting with Prime Minister
Ludovic Orban and several of his ministers, the President on Tuesday announced
a further easing of lockdown restrictions. Starting June 15, shopping malls
will reopen while any interior restaurants, cafes and playgrounds will remain
closed. Gyms and outdoor pools will also open their gates, with the strict
observance of special health regulations and physical distancing standards.
Private events have also received the greenlight, but the guest list will total
20 people for interior seating and 50 people outside. Moreover, to help working
parents during the summer holidays, after-schools and private nurseries will
also resume their activity. President Klaus Iohannis believes caution is still
advised. The state of alert, the president argues, should be extended, as we are
not yet seeing any significant drop in the number of new infections. Parliament
will have the final say in this matter, which is why the President has called
on MPs to agree to this move.

I call on Members of Parliament to be
reasonable and realize this virus cannot be eradicated with a simple vote in
Parliament. If you support the Government, we can effectively combat the spread
of the epidemic, as we have already proved we can. You’ve probably examined a
recent study of a prestigious London-based institute, which confirms that, in
the absence of precautionary measures, especially in Europe, millions would
have died. The fact that we introduced these measures early in Romania helped
us contain the spread of the contagion as best as we could.

The President’s announcement was met with
criticism by the opposition. The Social-Democrats say they will not vote an
extension of the state of alert. Social-Democrat spokesman Lucian Romascanu:

The President’s proposal is unacceptable,
at least with respect to the reasons he invoked, which aren’t backed by any
scientific or epidemiological evidence.

The Pro Romania Party announced its MPs
wouldn’t vote either, while the Save Romania Union wants more hard evidence
regarding the epidemiological context before making a decision. The latter
claims the state of alert is best suited for those towns and villages where the
risk of infection still exists.

(Translated by V. Palcu)