14-day COVID-19 case rate spikes to 6.64 per 1,000 population in Bucharest City

The 14-day cumulative COVID-19 case rate on Thursday exceeded 6.64 per 1,000 population in Bucharest City, according to the Bucharest Public Health Directorate (DSP), agerpres reports.

One day earlier, it was 6.33.

One month earlier, on August 30, the rate was 0.76 per 1,000 population.

Bucharest Deputy Prefect Antonela Ghita says she will not convene the Bucharest City Committee for Emergency Situations (CMBSU) today, explaining that she is waiting for the relevant legislation to be amended.

"We are looking forward to the legislation getting amended. We will have to take into account all the new things," Ghita said on Thursday.

On Wednesday, when the rate exceeded 6 per 1,000 population in Bucharest, she was saying that the legal deadline for convening CMBSU is 48 hours. "The deadline starts at 00:00hrs the next day," said Ghita.

Prime Minister Florin Citu said on Wednesday that the Ministry of Health, the Interior Ministry (MAI) and the Department for Emergency Situations (DSU) were considering abandoning linking school operation scenarios to the 14-day COVID-19 case rate, and switching instead to saliva-testing for students.

He also said that the National Committee for Emergency Situations will meet to approve a provision that hospitality businesses can stay in operation when the rate exceeds 6 per 1,000 population, provided that the employees and customers are vaccinated against COVID-19.