Coronavirus: Foreign Ministry recommends Romanian tourists to return to the country

Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) recommends all Romanian tourists who traveled abroad to shorten their stay and return to the country as soon as possible.

“Given that the measures taken by countries (in response to the coronavirus pandemic e.n.) may also affect air traffic and may change from day to day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommends contacting travel agencies and airlines in order to change flights and identify alternative routes for return,” MAE said in a press release.

The ministry also advised those who have planned trips abroad to re-evaluate their plans and check the information available on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and on the websites of Romania's diplomatic missions and consular offices abroad.

“At the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on Romanian citizens residing abroad to strictly respect the recommendations of these states’ authorities, and stresses that travel to Romania is not recommended.”

The Romanian authorities have decided to enforce new restrictions after president Klaus Iohannis announced on Saturday that he would decree the state of emergency in the country today, March 16. One such measure is that all persons coming to Romania from countries where there are at least 500 coronavirus infection cases confirmed will be placed under self-isolation at home. Those who come to Romania from countries or areas that are under quarantine will go into institutionalized quarantine for 14 days.

In related news, Romanian flag carrier Tarom announced it would allow its customers to reschedule their flights initially scheduled before May 31 to any later date within 12 months since the issuing date of their ticket with no rebooking cost.

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