Coronavirus cases continued to surge on Friday with a record 10,260 posted in the last day as authorities ordered a curfew and the closure of all schools in their battle to stem the spread of the virus.
The Strategic Communication Group said 123 Covid-19 patients succumbed to the disease in the last 24 hours.
It was the first time single-day figure has exceeded 10,000, in a week when negative records have been broken on a near-daily basis.
The northwest Cluj region reported 775 cases and Timis, a southwestern county had 665 cases, slightly more than the Romanian capital.
Some 38,389 were performed in the last 24 hours of which 26,6% were positive, the fifth consecutive day when a quarter of tests have had a positive reading.
Fourteen counties and the capital Bucharest have more than three case per 1,000 people putting them in the top tier category.
Cases have surged in the past week, and authorities will impose stricter measures next week to contain the virus.
Shops and restaurants with outdoor seating will close at 9pm and people will fill out forms if they leave their homes at night. People can be out at night for medical reasons or for work. Pharmacies and gas stations can stay open during the night.
Masks will be compulsory in public country-wide starting Monday, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said. Indoor farmers’ markets and fairs will have to close for a month.
On Friday, some 1,001 SARS-CoV-2 patients were in intensive care and more than 12,000 hospital beds occupied by Covid patients.
