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Romania is in a period where it will have to extend the state of alert, Health minister Nelu Tataru said today at the Romanian Academy.
"We are at a time with a rising number of cases from day to day. We're near a time when we're going to have to extend the state of alert. We are at a time when we are preparing the start of a new school year and preparing a series of electoral events which, who knows, could intensify this pandemic manifestation at the end of this year," said Tataru.
As for the start of school, he said that developments in the second half of August should be observed.
"The second half of August is the one that will actually give us the trend... We need to see the evolution since then. We have scenarios that can be applied depending on the evolution at that time. We cannot know what this will be. We're predicting it in the context that if everyone followed the rules, we should have a week to stabilize developments. The presence of the masks and disinfectant, even with that one-metre distance, do you think the children will keep that distance of one meter? We must adapt by supplementing with the obligation of the masks and disinfectant, as well as by monitoring including during breaks between hours, as well as in the school yard, where crowded spaces are," Tataru stressed.
Referring to the open-air restaurants' opening hours, the minister said that it will remain as it is now, as far as the state of alert will be proposed.
"The open-air restaurants' programme will remain in this context, provided that we will also propose the extension of the state of alert," Tataru said.
The minister added that as long as there are cases of infection with the novel coronavirus, the medical body, at some point, will get "jammed".
