Romania reported 174 Covid-19 related deaths in the last day, one of the highest single-day figures ever as new cases remained high.
The Strategic Communication Group said there were 9,489 new coronavirus cases and 25.5% of those tested had positive results, a high rate which is similar to the past fortnight.
In a development that the Romanian president called worrying, there were 1,149 SARS-CoV-2 patients receiving treatment in intensive care units, a new record.
“The number of serious cases in ICU is too high and we have too many (Covid-19) deaths, President Klaus Iohannis said.
Romanian authorities imposed new restrictions on Monday in a bid to flatten the curve following a spike in case in the last fortnight.
Schools have been closed and pupils have switched to online learning and shops and restaurants with outdoor seating have to close by 9 pm. People have to fill out forms if they are out after 11 pm, with only a few justifications allowed for being out at night, such as work and medical reasons.
“I ask you to respect these measures and be patient,” the president said. “We’ll have to wait 2-3 weeks to see results.”
Bucharest added 1,114 cases on Friday, a fifth more than the previous day and the most since Nov. 8. The Constanta region near the Black Sea had more than 700 new cases, an alarming jump of almost 11% of the total cases in a single day.
The central Sibiu region was the latest place to see a spike in cases, refistering more than 7 cases per 1,000 for the last fortnight. Starting Monday, residents will enter quarantine and their movements will be restricted.
