Hotels in Romania will reopen after May 15, PM says

The hotels in Romania will reopen after May 15, when Romania will start to ease the restrictions imposed during the state of emergency, prime minister Ludovic Orban said. However, the restaurants will remain closed, and the citizens will still have to respect some restrictions.

President Klaus Iohannis announced that the coronavirus lockdown will end on May 15 in Romania and that the authorities are working on a phased relaxation plan.

Orban said on Thursday evening, April 23, at local news channel B1, that the restaurants will remain closed for now, and that the government is currently analyzing the risks of reopening them.

"Before relaxing certain measures, we do an epidemiological investigation. I can't give a time horizon; we don't know when the restaurants will reopen," the PM said, according to local Economica.net.

"As for hotels, hotels will certainly not have restrictions, hotels will be able to operate under certain conditions to comply with rules to minimize the possibility of infection. This will also depend on the movement of people and the demand for accommodation," he added.

Orban also said that, although people will be allowed to move freely after May 15, there would still be certain restrictions.

"Citizens will be able to move freely, and they will be able to leave the house. This measure applies to all citizens, including those over 65 years of age. Of course, some rules will have to be followed, social distancing rules: not to form groups larger than three people, to wear a mask. To wear masks at the office, in commercial spaces, on public transport, at work," the prime minister explained.

President Iohannis also said that protective masks would become mandatory in all enclosed public spaces and public transport after May 15, for as long as needed.

In this context, Marcel Ciolacu, the interim president of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), submitted to the Parliament a bill signed by PSD and Pro Romania MPs, which says that the authorities should distribute free masks to citizens. According to this bill, every Romanian should receive 30 masks by May 15, local Digi24.roreported. Meanwhile, prime minister Orban said that the government would look for solutions to allow the purchase of masks for vulnerable people and those with low incomes.