Daily COVID-19 infections surpass 1,000 in Romania, total exceeds 40,000

Romania’s COVID-19 epidemic set a new record in both daily and total cases on Wednesday, with 1,030 new infections, taking the total to 40,163.

That daily number is more than four times higher than the average daily record of less than 200 in the second half of May, when the country entered its first phase in easing lockdown restrictions.

The country’s death toll from the virus rose to 2,101, as it reported 27 new fatalities in the past 24 hours, according to the Strategic Communication Group (GCS), the official novel coronavirus communication task force.

As many as 24,877 tests were performed in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of tests to 1,009,273 so far in the country.

The epidemic has rebounded sharply in Romania since mid-June, with average daily new cases of over 700 in the past two weeks, surpassing the average of less than 200 cases per day in the first half of June.

The authorities blamed the situation on the lax in protective measures of some institutions as well as the lack of self-protection instincts of some citizens, while the public reacted strongly to media reports that some senior officials did not wear masks in enclosed public spaces as required.

Police and gendarmes have applied, in the last 24 hours, 808 sanctions for fines, amounting to 111,875 lei (26,673 U.S. dollars) for those violating the provisions of the law on quarantine and isolation, the GCS noted.

Health Minister Nelu Tataru declared on Wednesday that Romania is going through a difficult moment as a result of the multiplication of COVID-19 cases and that this situation was due to not respecting the rules or restriction measures.

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