Update - Coronavirus: Romania suspends flights, buses and trains to Italy, additional measures in place

Update: Romania's National Committee for Special Emergency Situations decided on Monday, March 9, to suspend all direct bus lines and trains to and from Italy from March 10 until March 31, minister of interior Marcel Vela announced on Monday evening, after the committee's meeting.

One day earlier, the committee decided to suspend all flights between Romania and Italy are suspended between March 9 and March 23 because of the coronavirus outbreak.

“The suspension of all flights to and from Italy on all airports in the country is approved beginning March 9, 12:00 until March 23, 12:00,” Vela said on Sunday.

Romanian citizens arriving from Italy, China, Iran, and South Korea at terrestrial border points will be allowed into the country only under the compulsory measure of being quarantined.

Those returning to the country will be asked to sign a declaration that they do not come from a quarantined area and risk sanctions if proven otherwise.

At the same time, air carriers are compelled to not allow the boarding of citizens others than Romanians coming to Romania, with a layover, from Italy, China, Iran and South Korea, the Interior Affairs Ministry (MAI) said.

Foreign citizens arriving from Italy,China, Iran and South Korea, regardless of the means of transportation used, will be allowed into Romania only if they enter quarantine or isolation.

Freight transports of up to 3.5 tons and maritime transports are the exceptions.

Minister Vela issued an appeal to Romanians returning to the country to accurately declare where they are coming from.

“On the air routes it is easy to check the route of a person. On rail and road routes it is more complicated to check the itinerary. I’m making an appeal to our compatriots, they are responsible for the health of their families. They should not do what a Romanian citizen did when saying that he was returning from Germany but was coming from Italy and was infected. The Interior Affairs Ministry (MAI) will intensify checks, we will undertake ample checks and the truth will come out eventually. Nobody should think that if they make a false statement we will believe it without undertaking checks,” Vela said.

The authorities plan to supplement the available quarantine places, given the increasing number of people returning from areas where the Covid-19 coronavirus is widespread, Raed Arafat, the head of the Emergency Situations Department said, quoted by News.ro.