Proposed RO Govt. outlines measures to tackle Covid-19 crisis ahead of Parliament vote

The Government of Dacian Cioloș, proposed by the Save Romania Union (USR) over the weekend and set to stand the Parliament’s vote, has presented a program that opens with a series of measures aimed at managing the sanitary crisis and increasing the number of those vaccinating against Covid-19.

The USR Government plans to expand the use of the Covid-19 green pass to non-essential social events and activities taking place in public, and for access to malls over the weekend. Furthermore, all workers in the public and private sector who work with the public would have to show the Covid-19 pass or face having their contract suspended or terminated.

To limit the spread of the virus, pupils would have a two-week holiday, and the school year would be extended by two weeks. Testing would be reintroduced in schools for free for children and school staff.

The medium and long-term measures objectives set in the program target an increase of the vaccinated population and ensuring access to medical care for non-Covid patients.

USR plans a national vaccination pact that would see civil society get involved in promoting vaccination and the establishment of a fund to finance vaccination promotion in communities with low uptake; allotting funds to conduct surveys to determine the reasons for the resistance to vaccination, for vaccination promotion campaigns, and for a task force to combat fake news, among others. Doctors who share messages against vaccination would be sanctioned.

Romania has the second-lowest vaccination uptake in EU, with an uptake of 36% of at least one dose among adults older than 18, according to the Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker of the European Center for Disease Control.

To ensure the access of non-Covid patients to care, hospitals would be open in a mixed format, treating both Covid and no-Covid patients.

The USR program also outlines several measures to tackle the energy prices crisis. The VAT for electricity and natural gas would be temporarily lowered from 19% to 5% for residential and non-residential consumers, and the electricity excise tax would be eliminated. Businesses would be able to access credits worth half of the increase of the energy and gas bill, residential consumers would be exempt from the payment of the green certificates, and the thermal power stations CET would receive subsidies temporarily.

Other chapters of the program cover measures in finance, economy, agriculture, environment, energy, national defense, EU affairs, diaspora, healthcare, development and administration, labor and pensions, justice, transport infrastructure, education, sports, domestic affairs, digital transformation, research and innovation, and culture – corresponding to the portfolio of ministries.