Special access line opens in Romania for airport passengers coming from China

Romania's Health Minister Victor Costache said on Monday that special access lines for passengers coming from China were established at international airports.

"For several days now, a special access line has been operating at international airports for passengers coming from China, as well as for Chinese passengers. We also have a database and we know their location in Romania. All travellers coming from China receive some special questionnaires and they are requested to call 112, because their calls are taken over to identify this patient zero. I personally visited the units at the Matei Bals Institute, where these patients can be treated correctly, and the centres that I want to clearly identify at national level are - apart from Bucharest - Iasi, Targu Mures, Cluj, Timisoara, Sibiu and we identify an additional centre in Oradea," said Costache.

He added that, starting on Tuesday morning, the Matei Bals Institute will be able to carry out tests to identify the coronavirus, which will also become possible next week at the healthcare facilities in the mentioned cities, which will receive reagents to detect the coronavirus.

In the event that Romania faced people infected with coronavirus, according to him, the first ten will be treated at the Matei Bals Institute.

"The idea is not to bring all the cases to Bucharest. The first ten cases are to be treated in Bucharest, if we ever have these ten cases, and to create the expertise at national level," said Costache.

About the seasonal flu, Costache said that this year the flu vaccination campaign will start in time.