The risk of a coronavirus pandemic remains high and protecting the EU citizens is the main priority, Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday evening, after a videoconference with the EU heads of state. He said that all member states need to coordinate their efforts and that only together they can prevent the serious effects the coronavirus epidemic could have on the European economies.

The president will have a meeting with acting prime minister Ludovic Orban and designated prime minister Florin Citu on this subject on Wednesday.

“Although there are 29 confirmed cases in Romania, they are still very few. We don’t have community spreading, we know where each of the patients got infected. It’s essential to prevent the uncontrolled spreading of the infection,” president Iohannis said.

He added that the low number of infections is due to the efficient actions and preventive measures taken by the authorities, adding that these measures are aimed at preventing a “bigger evil”. “It’s vital to make small sacrifices now to avoid much bigger ones in the future,” Iohannis stated, urging all Romanians to strictly follow the recommendations of the authorities.

The president also recommended the citizens to avoid any unnecessary trips to places that are usually crowded. “We Romanians have a saying: Better safe than sorry. There are words that we must all guide our behavior these days,” Iohannis said.

He also sent a solidarity message to Romanians in Italy and asked the authorities to help those who need assistance. Romania has suspended all flights, buses and trains to and from Italy and everyone who comes from this country is automatically placed under quarantine.

“This is a defining moment for the capacity of our nation to stay united. Lack of responsibility and care, mistrust and panic can cause more harm than the virus itself,” the president also said, urging people to stay informed and the media to correctly inform the public.

editor@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Presidency.ro)