First adopted in May last year after two
\nmonths of state of emergency, the state of alert has since been extended every
\nmonth in Romania and for the time being this is likely to happen again
\nindefinitely. The coronavirus pandemic exposed decade-old dysfunctions, spared
\nno one and affected the entire Romanian economy and society. On top of that
\ncame the restrictions imposed in order to curb the spread of the virus, from
\nthe mandatory wearing of facemasks to physical distancing and limited freedom
\nof movement and assembly. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The authorities have kept insisting that a
\nreturn to normality, possibly from 1st June, can only begin after
\nvaccination. Prime minister Florin C\u00ee\u0163u says this date is an important landmark
\nin the fight against the pandemic, which depends on the immunisation of at
\nleast a third of the country’s population. Florin C\u00ee\u0163u:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
It doesn’t mean that everything will go
\nback to normal from 1st June, but it’s a first step, an important
\nstep. I said we could do this if almost 35% of the country’s population has
\nbeen given the vaccine. It’s up to us. Just as it’s been up to us so far, it is
\nup to us to return to normality. I know I’ve been saying this a lot, but it really
\nis up to us. A successful vaccination campaign can also bring back normality in
\nRomania.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The head of the Romanian government also
\nsaid that wearing facemasks will continue to be mandatory until 10 million
\npeople receive the Covid vaccine, meaning half of the population. However, a survey
\nconducted by MedLife, one of the biggest health providers in Romania, estimates
\nthat Romania will only achieve a 26-31% vaccination rate by the end of the
\nyear, amounting to some 5 million people. Only 10-13% of the population are
\ndetermined to get the vaccine anytime soon and only a third view vaccination as
\neffective. Things are somewhat better in cities, where 33-38% of people above
\nthe age of 16 say they want to get the vaccine by the end of the year. In the rural
\nareas, however, the estimated vaccination rate by December is 19-23%. Men,
\npeople over the age of 50 and people who have already had average or severe
\nforms of the virus are more open to vaccination. Also, people with a higher
\nlevel of education are more willing to get the vaccine. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The fear of side effects, both immediate
\nand long term, and the lack of confidence in the authorities and the healthcare
\nsystem are the main reasons for opposition to vaccination. This is why, the
\nMedLife survey suggests, trusted institutions such as the church and the army
\nand civic organisations must be involved in the campaign to promote
\nvaccination. (CM)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Romanian authorities urge the population to get the Covid vaccine so that restrictions can be gradually lifted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":105,"featured_media":88728,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[37738],"tags":[29710,31797],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-88727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-today-in-the-news","tag-restrictions","tag-vaccination"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n