New relaxation stage in RO might be deferred as number of infection cases remains high

The epidemiological situation might force the Romanian authorities to defer the next relaxation stage, scheduled for July 1, the head of the Department for Emergency Situations (DSU) Raed Arafat told Digi24 TV channel.

"It is possible to postpone the next phase of relaxation. It is possible, and it is not excluded at all," Arafat said.

He explained that there is a rising concern about the evolution of the number of infections, given that, in the second stage of relaxation, people no longer follow the rules as they did in the first phase.

He stated the transmission is already pretty high and will accelerate after more relaxation measures are allowed.

"We have made it clear - we can return to the normal as we know it from before the epidemic, only when we have a vaccine, a treatment or when the virus infects a high percentage of the population [providing immunity]," Arafat stressed.

Romania's representative to the World Health Organisation, Alexandru Rafila, pointed out that the number of coronavirus cases in Romania doubled in the last week compared to the previous one.

He drew attention to observing the sanitary measures needed to prevent further deterioration of the situation.

The percentage of positive cases stabilized at 3% [of tests], daily, compared to 1 - 1.5% as we had 3-4 weeks ago, he warned. The percentage hit 5% on June 21, when 315 new cases were recorded.

(Photo: Octav Ganea/ Inquam Photos)