Bucharest prefect restaurants to open partially when COVID-19 incidence rate falls below 3 per thousand

Show halls and restaurants will be partially opened when the COVID-19 incidence rate falls below 3 per thousand people, Bucharest City Prefect Alin Stoica said before the meeting of the Bucharest City Emergency Management Committee (CMBSU), convoked in order to take the necessary measures, in the context in which the incidence has gone under 3,5 per thousand.

"Show halls, as well as restaurants, will be partially opened, specifically at 30 pct capacity, only after the infection rate will fall below 3 per thousand. (...) Given the descending trend, this could happen in a week," said Alin Stoica.

He mentioned that, at a COVID-19 rate under 3.5 per thousand, the law provides that the program of economic operators will run Friday, Saturday and Sunday until 21:00 hrs, the restrictions to travel will come into force at 22:00 hrs in the weekend, as well, and sport/fitness gyms may reopen.

"For Easter the possibility to travel during the night, between 22:00 and 05:00, will be in force for all the believers that want to go to church," the Bucharest Prefect mentioned.

The Prefect also mentioned that the measures for Easter are already established, mentioning that he spoke with clergymen about the way in which the services in churches are to be organized and that in stores the measures already discussed with owners' associations will be implemented.

In what regards the church service for the feast of the Resurrection of Christ, he mentioned that distancing must be respected and the protective mask worn.

He also told Bucharesters to not be "fooled" by the decreasing incidence rate for COVID-19.

"From 7 per thousand we are under 3.5 and it will probably continue to decrease, but the rate itself is large, because we know full well, since the beginning of the pandemic the first thresholds were set at 1.5 and 3 per thousand, establishing a critical threshold for the healthcare system at 3. Obviously in the meantime improvements have been made, we have more beds in the ICUs, but this threshold remains a critical one for the healthcare system and it's best to be very careful in this period so that we do not reverse this positive trend," Alin Stoica said.