Coronavirus pandemic: RO health minister says infection rate is higher in counties with many commuters, tourism activity

The coronavirus infection rate is higher in counties with many commuters, health minister Nelu Tătaru explained, quoted by News.ro. Another cause mentioned by the minister is tourism.

He said the highest infection rates were in the counties of Argeş, Prahova, Dâmboviţa, Galaţi, Braşov, and Bucharest, but the causes were different.

The county of Argeş reported 71 coronavirus cases on Sunday, August 9, bringing the total to 4,062. Prahova reported 72 cases, and a total of 2,632, Dâmboviţa – 26 cases, and a total of 2,319, Galaţi – 66 cases, and a total of 2,534, and Braşov – 60 cases, and a total of 3,639. Meanwhile, Bucharest reported 201 cases, and a total of 7,322, according to the official report on August 9.

“If we think about Argeş, Prahova, and Dâmboviţa, it is mainly the transport of commuters, then tourism. In other areas, infections as a result of tourist activity come first. The HoReCa industry undertook some rules. If these rules had been followed, we didn’t have a marked increase but a manageable one. When this is not followed, transmission occurs. People go to the seaside for a week, get infected, and then return home,” Tătaru explained.

He also said he hoped the country would see, over the next week, “a stabilization and then a descending track.”

(Photo: Gov.ro)