Chief emergency management official says 30-day extension of state of alert comes after thorough analysis

Head of the Emergency Management Department Raed Arafat said on Tuesday that the government's approval of a 30-day extension to the state of alert from June 17 was decided following a "thorough" analysis of the current COVID-19 pandemic situation. "After a thorough analysis of the current situation, despite the fact that we are on a downward curve, however, there are signs that the situation may at any time deteriorate and we may at least have serious outbreaks or have a worse situation going forward, if we fail to live by the compensatory measures already mentioned, wearing face masks, keeping physical distance, triaging upon entering enclosed spaces, wearing face masks on public transport, all of which are extremely necessary in order to keep control of the situation at this time and keep us on a downward curve," Arafat said at the end of a government meeting. He pointed out that there have lately been increases that exceeded 300 new COVID-19 cases over 24 hours and a percentage of positive tests that reached 5% of the total performed. "The analysis that was done together with the INSP and with colleagues from the National Center for Coordination and Management of Intervention and together with other specialists showed that single management and command, as well as rapid action will be needed in the future as well. There is an increase from two weeks ago, a few days ago, in the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care, there are outbreaks that have occurred in health facilities that require staff secondment, moving staff to meet the demand of the health facilities where the staff is in isolation or even ill and hospitalised. These are some of the reasons why the proposal to extend the state of alert was chosen," Arafat explained. According to him, the mandate to conduct epidemiological triage at the entrance to public organisations and enclosed spaces and to wear masks on public transport is kept in place. He also announced that more border points will open. "The decision was taken regarding [the border points] Negru Voda, Constanta County; Turnu Magurele, Teleorman County; Sighetul Marmatiei, Maramures County, Radauti-Prut, Botosani County; Oancea, Galati County, as well as Jimbolia railway, Timis County except for freight transport. So they are to be re-opened at this time and become operational," Arafat said. Regarding air travel, he specified that the National Institute of Public Health (INSP), with the approval of CNSU, will periodically issue the list of countries toward which flights will be resumed or possibly stopped if the situation in a country deteriorates for 14 days. "INSP will establish the list of new countries that will be introduced to eliminate the measure of isolation and quarantine on return from those countries and automatically to resume flights to those countries. The next assessment will be at the end of this week to enter into force on Monday," said Arafat. He mentioned that excluded from the extension of the state of alert are direct procurement and other proposals that are not necessary at this stage. "So you will see a difference between the current proposals and the situations that were before, during the state of emergency and during the state of alert so far, in which certain aspects that are no longer necessary were allowed," Arafat said. AGERPRES (RO - author: Daniel Florea, editor: Claudia Stanescu; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Adina Panaitescu)