Romania will extend the state of alert beyond September 15, PM says

The state of alert will be extended beyond September 15, prime minister Ludovic Orban told local TV station B1TVon Sunday, August 30. A Government decision will outline this as well as the rules for carrying out the local elections scheduled for September 27.

“As far as the day of the vote is concerned, we will outline this in the Government decision (HG) concerning the extension of the state of alert. It will be adopted on September 15. […] We cannot stipulate this until we extend the state of alert,” the PM explained, quoted by Economica.net.

Orban said that the authorities were looking at setting up the polling station in spacious venues, for instance inside sports halls, Radio Europa Libera reported. He said that waiting areas would be set up outside, in keeping with the social distancing recommendations.

The PM insisted that the risk of coronavirus hotspots emerging after the elections was low if the prevention measures imposed by the authorities were followed.

He also explained that an issue that still needed solving was checking the identity of those who cast their ballot if they needed to wear a mask.

Romania entered the state of alert on May 15, at the end of a two-month state of emergency.

During the state of alert, wearing a mask is mandatory in outdoor public venues, such as farmers’ markets or bus stations, at certain hours set by each county. Sports competitions can be organized outdoors but without an audience. At the same time, outdoor cultural events are allowed, in accordance with the coronavirus prevention rules.

(Photo: Gov.ro)