The Italians have the aperitivo and the Romanians have their ‘suc.’
Both were canceled by the lockdowns imposed across Europe to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
For many Romanians, sipping a ‘suc,’ a generic word for a soft drink, or a café frappe at an outdoor cafe is one of the more enjoyable ways to pass time when the weather gets warmer.
Unlike the Italian aperitivo, which involves a glass of wine and snacks after work, Romanians drink ‘suc’ at any time with or without food.
So when a strict lockdown ended in Romania last week, but the government said cafes with outside terraces wouldn’t reopen, many were disappointed.
But there may not be long to wait. Health Minister Nelu Tataru said Monday that restrictions which are still in place under the ‘state of alert’ will gradually be lifted in the coming weeks.
If there isn’t a spike in coronavirus cases, the outdoor cafes can reopen on June 1, he said.
Afterwards, the government will allow beaches and restaurants which have been closed since mid-March to reopen in time for the summer, provided infections don’t rise sharply.
Romania has recorded more than 17,000 cases of COVID-19 since the outbreak started and 1,107 deaths.
„We are evaluating measures and if the measures have the desired effect, then we are preparing new measures after June 1,” Tataru said.
“If all goes well, we can reopen terraces on June 1 and on June 15, we can reopen restaurants and beaches,” he told Digi24.
However, he cautioned: “if there is a growth in cases, we’ll go right back to where we started,” in an apparent reference to the two-month state of emergency which was lifted on May 15.
“Any relaxation will happen gradually, progressively… but it all depends on how the general public behaves.”
“This summer will be a trial.”
