Police have closed three fashionable clubs in the Romanian capital after they broke new Covid restrictions.
Romanian authorities stepped up checks over the weekend in Bucharest and elsewhere as new restrictions were enforced, they said Monday.
A curfew began at 8 p.m. on Sunday evening in Bucharest. It aims to stem a spike in new infections which has seen nationwide daily rates of over 6,000 in the past two weeks.
Restrictions
Bucharest has seen a surge in cases in the past week, and authorities announced the new restrictions on Friday. In places where there are more than four cases per 1,000 people, restaurants, bars and shops have to close at 6 p.m. on Friday through to Sunday and at 8 p.m. during the week.
Police said Monday that they had closed LOFT, a hangout for the ‘in-crowd’ and fined the owners about 9,000 euros.
The Casa di David, a fashionable venue on the shores of Herestrau Lake was also shut for a month and handed a fine of 48,000 lei about 10,000 euros.
One-of-a-kind
Bamboo, an establishment which boasts “one-of-a-kind level of entertainment” was also closed for 30 days. Its opening hours at 11 p.m. to 5 a.m which is illegal under the new rules.
Police carried out checks in Bucharest’s Hesestrau Park in the north of the capital and fined dozens of bar owners and residents.
Herestrau lake
Police spokeswoman Ioana Ionuţ said police ad focused on cafes and restaurants in the well-heeled north of the capital, particularly around Herestrau lake, a popular leisure area.
“Some businesses didn’t understand that they have to respect the pandemic rules,” she said. “they were fined by police, health authorities,” and others, she said.
Police said they fined people about 20,000 euros for joining demonstrations protesting the new restrictions. Most people were sanctioned for not having forms saying why they had left their homes.
