Romania’s government plans to shorten opening hours for outdoor bars and restaurants and make the wearing of protective masks outside mandatory in a bid to contain a spike in coronavirus cases, including.
The Emergency Situations Department wants to close outdoor restaurants by 11pm and make face masks compulsory in outdoor crowded places according to a document published late Tuesday.
Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said a final decision would be taken in a government meeting Wednesday. „We are not closing down anything,” he said. „There are some activities that take place after 11pm when the risk of infection is greater,” he added, explaining the reasoning for the measure which may be imposed in Bucharest, the Black Sea or nationwide.
The daily number of coronavirus infections has been more than 1,000 for the last week, increasing confirmed cases to 47,053 since the pandemic began. Some 2,239 people have died.
Romania has extended a state of alert until the middle of August, and local authorities have placed several small towns and villages under localized quarantine.
Masks are already compulsory in public transport and indoor public spaces, but compliance has been erratic.
The emergency committee would also like better enforcement of social distancing guidelines at resorts on Romania’s Black Sea coastline which have become crowded in recent weeks
Health Minister Nelu Tataru said Tuesday that the number of new cases should start to drop within two to three weeks if people stick to the rules.
This month’s spike came after a legislative void enabled thousands of infected people to walk out of hospitals for several weeks. Parliament has since passed a bill that allows authorities to enforce quarantine and isolation for infected people.
