The state of emergency to be extended

The state of emergency declared on Romanias territory on March 16 to combat the coronavirus pandemic will be extended by one month.

Daniela Budu, 07.04.2020, 14:01

The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has announced that the state of emergency declared on March 16 to fight the spread of the new coronavirus will be extended by another month. As compared to other countries, the number of people infected with the new virus in Romania has not been very high so far, said President Iohannis who, nevertheless, warned the population not to relax yet and urged them to continue observing the social distancing measures imposed by the authorities, given that the peak of the pandemic has not been reached yet.

Klaus Iohannis: “Following a thorough analysis, we have concluded that we need to extend the state of emergency. Therefore, I have called on the Government to come up with proposals that should be included in the next decree. This week we will draft the text and early next week I will issue a new decree that extends the state of emergency by one month. This extension is absolutely necessary to control the evolution of the pandemic.

In relation to protective equipment, the president has announced that a new transport of face masks and hazmat suits for the medical staff will arrive in Romania this week.

Klaus Iohannis: “Everyone knows that it has been a little complicated to purchase protective equipment: masks, hazmat suits, and ventilators. The measures taken by the government have now produced the first significant results. This week well receive 2.5 million face masks for the medical staff, almost 5 million masks for the gendarmes and police and as many as 8 million masks for the population. Also, in the coming days we are waiting for almost 500 thousand hazmat suits for physicians and other medical staff.

Furthermore, the Romanian government has approved bonuses for the entire medical staff that gets in contact with patients infected with Covid-19. 75 thousand physicians, auxiliary staff, ambulance workers and paramedics that treat such patients will receive 2,500 lei, that is a little more than 500 Euros per month. Only the income tax of 10% will be levied on the sum, the other contributions not being deducted.

At the same time, one thousand social and community workers will receive 2 thousand lei (around 400 Euros) per month to take care of people isolated in their homes, lonely people or old people over 65. The money, a total of 810 million Euros, comes from European funds, which will be used to also cover entirely for all the purchases of medical equipment.

In another development, on Monday, the Romanian government discussed the first budget adjustment for 2020. The finance minister Florin Citu has announced that most of the money will be channeled to the health and labor ministries. (translation by L. Simion)