Last week, when official reports indicated that half
\nof the people to have died of Covid-19 in Romania were patients at the County
\nHospital in Suceva, many feared that the eastern region of Moldavia could
\nbecome Romania’s own Lombardy. It now turns out these fears were not unfounded.
\nAs of Monday night, more than a quarter of the total number of coronavirus infections
\nin Romania were in Suceava, with the percentage even higher when it comes to
\ndeaths. What’s more, of all the infections among medical staff, some two thirds
\nwere at Suceava County Hospital, that is over 180 doctors, nurses and orderlies.
\nThis makes Suceava the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak in Romania. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The authorities have consequently decided to place
\nthis city and eight surrounding villages in total lockdown. The army and the
\npolice have installed road blocks on all roads entering and leaving the area.
\nThe only movement permitted is the transport of goods and raw materials and the
\nmovement of people carrying out economic, security and public administration
\nactivities. The interior minister Marcel Vela told Radio Romania he is
\nconfident people from the area will understand the situation. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
We took this decision also with their best interests
\nin mind, to contain the spread of the infection throughout the whole county,
\nthe whole region, and ultimately, the whole of Romania. I’d like to assure the
\ninhabitants of Suceava county that we’re doing our best to help and support
\nthem. We are and will be together.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in the
\nregion, given the large number of medical staff who have already contracted the
\nnew coronavirus or are still in isolation or quarantine, one of the biggest
\nproblems in Suceava is the lack of specialised medical staff. The county
\nhospital is now being reorganised to be able to run as best as possible using
\nthe available staff. There is also a shortage of protective equipment and
\ntesting kits. The Suceava prefecture has requested the creation of a field
\nhospital. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\nLocal residents are also waiting for the
\nauthorities to provide measures of support, fearing they might lose their jobs as
\na result of the suspension of many economic activities. Tourism is one of the
\nworst hit sectors, especially as this time of the year would normally be very
\nbusy. Suceava is one of the most picturesque regions of Moldavia and the home
\nof many tourist attractions, including old monasteries, medieval citadels and popular
\nspa resorts. (Tr.: CM)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The northern Romanian city of Suceava and eight neighbouring villages are in quarantine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109,"featured_media":85069,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[37738],"tags":[35342,35437],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-85245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-today-in-the-news","tag-lockdown","tag-suceava"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n