Coronavirus Romania: LIVE, MAI announces new measures on March 21

The coronavirus infected 367 Romanians, and today a lot of people went through parks, forests, various other open spaces, taking advantage of the heat outside, so a RO-ALERT message was needed to remind everyone that it's okay to try to protect himself.

As expected, the current situation brings new measures from the MAI, so that Minister Marcel Vela, Raed Arafat and Bogdan Despescu are talking in these minutes about what is to be imposed in Romania to further prevent the spread of the Coronavirus.

Here are all the measures imposed by the military ordinance presented by the authorities.

"Article 1

(1) The activity in dental offices is temporarily suspended.

(2) By way of exception, emergency dental interventions are allowed.

(3) The measure shall be applied from March 22, 2020, at 22.00, the time of Romania.

Article 2

(1) Retail sales of products and services are temporarily suspended in commercial centers where several economic operators operate, with the exception of the sale of food, veterinary or pharmaceutical products and cleaning services.

(2) By shopping center is meant "the sales structure with a medium or large area in which retail sales of products, market services and public catering activities are carried out, using a common infrastructure and appropriate utilities", as it is regulated in the annex to Law no. 296/2004 on the Consumer Code, republished, with subsequent amendments and additions.

(3) The measure shall be applied from March 22, 2020, at 22.00, the time of Romania.

Article 3

(1) The circulation of people outside the home/household is carried out only by observing the general measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and avoiding the formation of any group of people.

(2) The formation of a group of people means the joining of more than 3 people who do not live together.

Article 4

In the time interval 06.00 - 22.00, it is recommended that the movement of people outside the home/household is carried out only for the following reasons:

a) travel in professional interest, including between home / household and the place / places of professional activity and back;
b) traveling for the provision of goods that cover the basic needs of people and pets/domestic animals, as well as goods necessary for carrying out professional activity;
c) travel for medical assistance that cannot be postponed or carried out remotely;
d) travel for justified reasons, such as child care/accompanying, assistance to elderly, sick or disabled persons or death of a family member;
e) short journeys, near the home/household, related to the individual physical activity of people and the needs of pets/domestic animals.

Article 5

(1) In the time interval 22.00 - 06.00, the movement of people outside the home/household is allowed only for the reasons provided for in art. 4.

(2) In order to verify the reason for the travel in professional interest, the persons are obliged to present, at the request of the staff of the competent authorities, the service card, the certificate issued by the employer or a self-responsible declaration.

(3) In order to verify the reason for the travel in personal interest, the persons are obliged to present, at the request of the staff of the competent authorities, a declaration on their own responsibility, filled in beforehand.

(4) The affidavit must include the name and surname, date of birth, home address/household/place of professional activity, reason for travel, date of completion and signature.

(5) The staff of the Presidential Administration, the Romanian Parliament, the Government of Romania, the Public Ministry, the institutions of the national defense system, public order and national security, the diplomatic corps and the staff who provide public utility services are exempt from these provisions.

(6) The measure shall be applied from March 23, 2020, at 22.00, the time of Romania.

Article 6

(1) Foreign citizens and stateless persons, as defined in art. 2 letter a) and b) of the Government Emergency Ordinance no. 194/2002 regarding the regime of foreigners in Romania, republished, with subsequent amendments and additions, except for the situation in which they transit the territory of Romania, on a transit lane, organized through agreements with neighboring states.

(2) By way of exception, foreign citizens and stateless persons belonging to the following categories are allowed to enter the territory of Romania:

a) are family members of Romanian citizens;
b) are family members of citizens of other member states of the European Union or of the European Economic Area or of the Swiss Confederation, with residence in Romania;
c) are persons who possess a long-stay visa, a residence permit or a document equivalent to the residence permit issued by the Romanian authorities according to the Government Emergency Ordinance no. 194/2002 regarding the regime of foreigners in Romania, republished, with subsequent amendments and additions, or an equivalent document issued by the authorities of other states, according to European Union law;
d) are persons traveling for professional purposes, proven by a visa, residence permit or another equivalent document;
e) is diplomatic or consular staff, staff of international organizations, military staff or staff who can provide humanitarian aid;
f) are passengers in transit, including those repatriated as a result of being granted consular protection;
g) are passengers traveling for imperative reasons (medical or family);
h) are persons who need international protection or for other humanitarian reasons.
(3) The measure shall be applied from March 22, 2020, at 22.00, the time of Romania.

Article 7

(1) People isolated at home, as a measure to prevent the spread of COVID19, who leave the location where they have been placed, without the approval of the competent authorities, are considered persons with a high risk of contagion and are led by the public order forces and placed in institutionalized quarantine, under guard.

(2) Quarantined persons, as a measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19, who leave the location where they were placed, without the approval of the competent authorities, are quarantined for a new period of 14 days.

(3) The measures ordered according to para. (1) and (2) do not exonerate persons from contraventional or criminal liability.

(4) The measures are applied starting from the date of publication of this military ordinance in the Official Gazette of Romania, Part I.

Article 8

(1) The local public administration authorities have the obligation to identify and keep track of people aged over 65, without supporters or other form of help, and to provide them with support in order to minimize their exposure outside their homes.

(2) The records are updated and reported weekly to the county/municipality center for coordination and management of the intervention.

(3) The local, county and Bucharest city committees for emergency situations identify ways of support for the persons referred to in para. (1).

(4) The measures are applied starting from the date of publication of this military ordinance in the Official Gazette of Romania, Part I.

Article 9

(1) Military ordinance no. I/2020 regarding some first emergency measures, which agglomerations of people and the cross-border circulation of some goods, published in the Official Gazette of Romania, Part I, no. 219 of March 1 8, 2020, are supplemented as follows:

After paragraph (1) of Article 2, two new paragraphs are inserted, paragraphs (2) and (3), with the following content:
"(2) Services may be held in places of worship, by church/religious ministers, without public access, services may be broadcast in the mass media or online.

(3) Private liturgical/religious acts (baptisms, weddings, funerals) can be officiated, in which a maximum of 8 people can participate, as well as the sharing of sick believers at the hospital or at their homes".

After paragraph (2) of Article 4, a new paragraph, paragraph (3), is inserted, with the following content:
"(3) The provisions of para. (I) and (2) also apply to drivers of goods transport vehicles with a maximum authorized capacity of more than 2,4t".

After paragraph (2) of Article 5, a new paragraph, paragraph (3), is inserted, with the following content:
"(3) Other exceptions to the prohibition provided for in paragraph (1) are established by order of the Minister of Health."

(2) The measures are applied starting from the date of publication of this military ordinance in the Official Gazette of Romania, Part I.

Article 10

(1) They are empowered to ensure the application and compliance with the provisions of this military ordinance:

a) The Romanian Police, the Romanian Gendarmerie, the local Police, the National Fiscal Administration Agency, the National Authority for Consumer Protection and the leaders of local public administration authorities, for the measures provided for in art. 1 and 2;
b) Romanian Police, Romanian Gendarmerie, Local Police, for the measures provided for in art. 3, 5 and 7;
c) Romanian Border Police, for the measure provided for in art. 6.
(2) Failure to comply with the first emergency measures provided for in art. 1-7 attract disciplinary, civil, contraventional or criminal liability, in accordance with the provisions of art. 27 of the Government Emergency Ordinance no. 1/1999, with subsequent amendments and additions.

(3) The staff of the institutions referred to in paragraph (1) is empowered to ascertain contraventions and apply sanctions, in accordance with the provisions of art. 29 of the Government Emergency Ordinance no. 1/1999, with subsequent amendments and additions.

Article 11

(1) This military ordinance is published in the Official Gazette of Romania, Part I.

(2) Audiovisual media service providers have the obligation to inform the public, through regularly broadcast messages, for at least 2 days from the date of publication, about the content of this military ordinance."