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President Iohannis: It is necessary to extend state of alert

President Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday that the state of alert should be extended, with fewer restrictions, and called on parliamentarians to proceed in this sense. "Given that we do not have a significant decrease in the number of new cases, the fact that we still have around 150 people in intensive care, hospitalized, the fact that the last weekend of relaxation was still felt, not in a good way, in terms of the number of new cases, it makes us still cautious and we believe that the state of alert should be extended," said the president, at the Cotroceni Palace.

He pointed out that there would be fewer restrictions proposed in the next stage, but considers "it is not possible to continue without having this tool called the state of alert". At the same time, the president reminded that there are measures that will be further applied - social distancing, the wearing of the protective mask and the avoidance of crowds.

Iohannis said that this continuation of the state of alert will be debated in the meeting by the members of the Executive and he also addressed the members of the Parliament, who must approve this measure. "Dear parliamentarians, be responsible, think that the virus does not disappear through a vote in Parliament, but if you support the Government, then we can efficiently control it as we have proven. We can efficiently control this spread of the epidemic," Iohannis said. The president considered that the measures taken so far have been correct. "Dear parliamentarians, do not question, now, at the end, these measures that have proved to be correct," Iohannis said.

Shopping malls, kindergartens and private nurseries could open after 15 June, within new relaxation measures that are to be taken, on Tuesday said President Klaus Iohannis. "Given that lately the number of new illnesses has not increased significantly, nor has it decreased significantly, we consider that it is possible to continue with some new relaxation measures, i.e. some of the restrictions that are now in force will no longer be in force after 15 June. (...) After June 15, the shopping malls could be reopened, but without restaurants and playgrounds," explained the president in a press statement held at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace.

He added that private events, the reopening of after-schools, kindergartens, private nurseries and fitness rooms will be possible. According to him, private events, the reopening of after-schools, kindergartens, private nurseries, fitness rooms and outdoor pools will be possible.

"Private events with a slightly higher number of participants will be possible, namely with 20 people, if the events are indoors and 50 people if events are organised outdoors. In order to support the parents who will work and will have to go to work during the school holidays, it will also be possible, not mandatory, after 15 June, to reopen the after-schools, the kindergartens, the private nurseries. It will also be possible to reopen the fitness gyms after 15 June, but in compliance with very strict distancing rules, which will be imposed by the Ministry of Health. As the summer season begins, we have analysed and concluded that it will be possible to open outdoor pools in compliance with special sanitary regulations, which will also be made available to those who are interested," Klaus Iohannis said.

The president also said that it is important that slowly, some of the home isolation and self-isolation measures be dropped wherever possible.

"An objective criterion has been found with which we can also work in Romania. In this respect, things will be more relaxed in relation to the states where the number of new illnesses is small, i.e. where the number of illnesses in the last 14 days is less than 5 cases per one million inhabitants, in the average of the last 14 days. For the time being, this objective criterion does not fit the states where there are enough of our fellow citizens, to give just a few examples, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, Sweden, the Netherlands do not qualify for relaxation. In this respect, with an objective criterion, we will carefully follow the communications at EU level and where things change in the right way we will immediately respond, too," the president added.

President Klaus Iohannis held a meeting on COVID-19 epidemic management measures with Prime minister Ludovic Orban, minister of the Interior Marcel Vela, minister of Health Nelu Tataru, minister of National Defence Nicolae Ciuca, minister of Economy, Energy and Business Environment, Virgil Popescu, and with the head of the Department of Emergency Situations, Raed Arafat.



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