Romania’s health minister on Monday said that Covid restrictions should be lifted ‘gradually’ and may be gone by Easter if the situation with the virus remains under control.
Romania reported about 7,700 new cases on Monday, the lowest single-day figure since the fifth wave of the pandemic began in January.
Case are down about 30% from the week before, although the number of patients in intensive care remains relatively high.
„We need to take things gradually,” Health Minister Alexandru Rafila said. „The drop in cases hasn’t correlated with a drop in patients in intensive care. We have around 1,100 patients in ICU.”
One of the first restrictions to be lifted will be the wearing of masks outdoors, he said. Restrictions may be lifted almost completely by Easter which is on April 24, he suggested.
A key factor in easing restrictions is the number of patients in intensive care, authorities say.
There are 1,800 ICU beds for Covid-19 patients, and authorities say when the number of patents falls below 900, then it’s safe to lift restrictions.
