The northern Romanian city of Suceava and eight neighbouring villages are in quarantine.
Last week, when official reports indicated that half of the people to have died of Covid-19 in Romania were patients at the County Hospital in Suceva, many feared that the eastern region of Moldavia could become Romania's own Lombardy. It now turns out these fears were not unfounded. As of Monday night, more than a quarter of the total number of coronavirus infections in Romania were in Suceava, with the percentage even higher when it comes to deaths. What's more, of all the infections among medical staff, some two thirds were at Suceava County Hospital, that is over 180 doctors, nurses and orderlies. This makes Suceava the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak in Romania.
The authorities have consequently decided to place this city and eight surrounding villages in total lockdown. The army and the police have installed road blocks on all roads entering and leaving the area. The only movement permitted is the transport of goods and raw materials and the movement of people carrying out economic, security and public administration activities. The interior minister Marcel Vela told Radio Romania he is confident people from the area will understand the situation.
"We took this decision also with their best interests in mind, to contain the spread of the infection throughout the whole county, the whole region, and ultimately, the whole of Romania. I'd like to assure the inhabitants of Suceava county that we're doing our best to help and support them. We are and will be together."
According to Radio Romania's correspondent in the region, given the large number of medical staff who have already contracted the new coronavirus or are still in isolation or quarantine, one of the biggest problems in Suceava is the lack of specialised medical staff. The county hospital is now being reorganised to be able to run as best as possible using the available staff. There is also a shortage of protective equipment and testing kits. The Suceava prefecture has requested the creation of a field hospital.
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