No total lockdown now or during winter holidays, Romanian president says

The Romanian authorities are not considering enforcing a total lockdown in the country, president Klaus Iohannis said during a press conference on Tuesday, November 10.

“We are not considering a total lockdown now, as we are not considering a total lockdown during the winter holidays,” was the president’s answer to one of the journalists’ questions.

However, he said that it is still possible to quarantine some localities that register high COVID-19 infection rates.

Also on Tuesday, Raed Arafat, the head of Romania’s Emergency Situations Department (DSU), said that the winter holidays would be different this year and urged citizens to follow the prevention rules.

“The holidays will not be like before, we can’t expect to have holidays like in December 2019. We already know the general limits: I believe that we’ll still have to wear masks and practice social distancing, and probably the limits to the activities in closed spaces will still be in force in that period. I can’t say now if there will be other measures, but it’s important to understand that this year’s holidays will be different from last year’s,” Arafat said, according to News.ro.

He also advised the Romanians to celebrate Christmas only with members of their own household and avoid the organization of larger events.

“If you want to celebrate with two or three more families, you have increased your risk of getting infected because I guess you will not wear a mask on Christmas night. Depending on how you organize your Christmas dinner […], the risk of transmission is much higher, and the vulnerability is higher. In the end, everyone calculates the risk they want to take,” Arafat said.

New restrictions were introduced in Romania starting November 9. They are the equivalent of a soft lockdown and apply for 30 days. During this period, masks are mandatory in all public spaces (indoor and outdoor), schools and kindergartens are closed, people’s movement is restricted during the night (23:00 to 5:00), and shops and large stores close at 21:00. Also, parties of all kinds are banned.

(Photo source: Presidency.ro)