Romania’s capital shuts schools, cinemas as “red” alert set off

Romania’s capital city Bucharest decided on Monday to close schools and cinemas, and make mask-wearing in public spaces compulsory from Tuesday.

The move came as the city entered the “red” scenario of COVID-19 after the 14-day incidence exceeded the threshold of three infections per 1,000 inhabitants.

Face-to-face activities in all educational units in the capital city will be suspended, announced Mariana Stancu-Tipisca, the spokeswoman for the Prefect’s Office.
Cinemas, theatres and gambling houses will be closed, she added.

Indoor areas of restaurants, cafes and bars will be closed while their terraces can remain open, she said, adding that “hotels and accommodation units will only serve meals indoors for their clients who rent rooms in the respective units.”

According to the spokeswoman,

wearing a face mask will be compulsory in all public places.

This simple protective measure has been generally proven effective in many countries, including China.

• Romania lifts quarantine requirement for arrivals from Hungary

According to the government’s decision on Wednesday to extend the state of alert for another 30 days, Bucharest and all counties must tighten restrictions if their 14-day incidences surpass three cases per 1,000 inhabitants.

Official statistics showed that Bucharest had reported 3.02 and 3.19 cases per 1,000 inhabitants on Sunday and Monday, respectively, becoming the first region to surpass the alert limit.

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Source: Xinhua