Romania reopens indoor restaurants starting September 1

Indoor restaurants in Romania will reopen starting September 1, prime minister Ludovic Orban said on Thursday, August 27.

President Klaus Iohannis said a day earlier that indoor restaurants can reopen after September 1, in certain conditions.

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PM Orban said on Thursday that the restaurants within hotels will reopen throughout the country while standalone restaurants will reopen depending on the epidemiological context in each region, Profit.ro reported. The Government was expected to adopt a decision in this sense in its meeting on Thursday evening.

The Romanian authorities closed indoor restaurants in March, after the country declared the state of emergency due to the new coronavirus pandemic. While many of the restrictions imposed during the state of emergency have been lifted, indoor restaurants have remained closed.

HORECA industry representatives have been pressing the authorities to reopen the restaurants warning that many of the 400,000 jobs in this sector were at risk, but the Government avoided more relaxation measures due to the increase in the number of COVID-19 infection cases. Romania currently registers more than 1,000 daily cases, on average, more than triple the number recorded in April, during the state of emergency.

"Why did we set the date of September 1? Because when it comes to the HORECA field, the warm season is coming to an end. At least in the area of ​​tourism, hotels, motels, guest houses, it is increasingly difficult to ensure dining outside due to low temperatures, especially in the morning and evening. Basically, we risk affecting the field of tourism and hospitality if we do not allow meals. Serving meals, for example, for tourists in hotels will be allowed, certainly under certain conditions, regardless of the spread, so as not to affect the desire for accommodation. In the case of autonomous restaurants, we will take into account the level of spread of the epidemic," PM Orban explained on August 27.

Indoor cultural venues, such as theaters and cinemas, could also reopen in September, according to previous statements by Government officials.

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