RO health minister warns of increase in coronavirus cases, urges people to follow prevention rules

Romania will see a progressive increase in the number of cases over the next weeks, health minister Nelu Tătaru said, quoted by News.ro. If people follow the prevention rules, the curve could flatten, he explained.

“There are two difficult weeks when we will see a progressive increase in the number of cases. We - the healthcare system, the ministry, the Government- need to adjust the means that we have, the intensive care beds and the equipment, to the number of patients we see every day,” he said.

The minister urged people to follow the prevention rules: wear a mask, hand wash, and practice social distancing.

He explained that the present surge in cases is the outcome of almost 4,000 coronavirus patients refusing hospital admission or requesting to be discharged.

“For eight weeks we’ve had increases, from the last week of June, when we had 120-130 new cases from one day to the other. Throughout this period, the restrictions were eased. From July 3 to July 21, we did not have any legislative mechanism to manage the infected patients, symptomatic or asymptomatic ones. Beginning with July 23, once the new [quarantine] law went into effect, we restarted this huge work of identifying, diagnosing, quarantining, or isolating at home,” Tătaru said.

Tătaru also said a drop in the number of cases could happen in two or three weeks, if people and businesses follow the rules.

Romania recorded 1,356 coronavirus cases on July 30, the highest daily number since the start of the pandemic. The total number of cases reached 49,591 on the same date.

(Photo: Gov.ro)