Schools in Romania will close for two weeks, and masks will be mandatory in public following a surge in coronavirus cases and deaths, President Klaus Iohannis said Wednesday.
The president discussed the new measures with Prime Minister Flroin Citu and other officials tasked with handling the pandemic, News.ro reported.
There will be a nationwide curfew for everyone except people who are vaccinated.
“If we want to stop the pandemic, the only solution is vaccination,” the president said.
About one-third of Romanian adults have received a Covid-19 vaccine, the second-lowest rate in the European Union.
Acting Prime Minister Florin Cîțu said the government would relaunch “vaccine marathons” to boost the vaccine uptake.
“We will restart vaccine marathons and at the same time we will supply the necessary medicines to schools. But the key solution remains vaccination! If we are vaccinated there, there is less pressure on hospitals, and the pandemic restrictions can be lifted.”
Romania reported 414 deaths on Wednesday and 17,158 new cases.
Darkest day of the pandemic. Romania reports record 561 Covid-19 deaths
