Bucharest: Romania, Romania on Friday introduced restrictions on new trips and isolation measures for people who entered the country when officials tried to prevent other health care crises after the emergence of the omicron variant of Coronavirus.
Romania, the European Union is around 19 million, faces the deadliest period of this pandemic until October and November and has so far confirmed three omicron cases, which are considered more contagious than previous Coronavirus variants.
The three cases of Omicron Romania have been detected in people associated with government repatriation flights from South Africa to Bucharest at the end of November.
Some other people who returned to the flight had been tested positively for Covid-19, and sequencing was being carried out, the Ministry of Health said.
New travel rules will be enforced from Friday to 8 January and aim to curb transmission during the winter holiday period.
They included proof of a negative Covid-19 test, quarantine for travelers who were not vaccinated – and depend on the epidemiological risk of the country they lived.
From December 20, the passenger location form will also be implemented to increase the traceability of infection.
But while the authorities expect new travel measures to prevent a surge in infection, and curb as many omicron spread as possible from winter holidays, some internal restrictions have been reduced.
Places such as shops, cafes, malls and restaurants can now continue to be open until 10pm, one hour later, and people can enter without “green certificates” but with proof of a negative Covid-19 test.
Masks are no longer needed in open public places that are not disturbed, and on the main holiday winter – like Christmas and New Year’s Eve – closing time for business effectively removed.
Health Minister Alexandru Rafila said after a government meeting this week that the authorities had to give people hopes that they could “live normally in this country” but if the level of infection rises above a certain threshold, the steps will be reversed.
“Openness in this part of the government is caused by the sake of life to return to normal in Romania,” Rafila said, but warned that the authorities “could not ignore the dangers of following.” Dragos Zaharia, a primary care doctor at Bucharest’s Marius Nasta Institute of Pneumology at the forefront during a gloomy period in October and November when Romania has one of the highest coronavirus mortality rates in the world, saying the steps of relaxation are needed but also “that game risky.
” “We expect the fifth wave.
I am worried that things can get out of control again,” Zaharia told the Associated Press.
“This balance between restrictions and freedom is quite difficult to achieve.
But without relaxation, the population can become less adhere to future steps.”