Starting today, the Ministry of Health has new rules regarding how to treat people who are infected with the new Coronavirus, and below you have detailed all this information based on a decision taken by the National Committee for Emergency Situations today.
The Ministry of Health will impose all these new rules through DSPs, and you can see below that not so many things change, although now everything will not be the same, and it is good to know what is happening, even if you will be lucky to never be infected.
"The National Committee for Emergency Situations, by Decision number 36 of July 21, 2020, certified, according to Law 136/2020, the COVID-19 pandemic declared by the World Health Organization on March 11.03.2020, XNUMX.
Given that starting today, Law number 136 of July 18, 2020 on the establishment of measures in the field of public health in epidemiological and biological risk situations enters into force, we make the following clarifications regarding the measure of quarantine and isolation.
Thus, the quarantine of people is instituted based on official scientific information and the case definition, at the person's home, at a location declared by him or in a special space designated by the authorities, for people suspected of being infected or carriers of a high-level agent pathogen that:
- they arrive from areas where the epidemiological risk is high, based on the epidemiological data transmitted at national, European and international level by the competent bodies in the field;
- have come into direct contact with at least one person confirmed to have an infectious disease.
Quarantine in spaces specially designated by the competent authorities (institutionalized quarantine) is carried out in the following situations:
- if the persons for whom the quarantine measure is instituted declare on their own responsibility that they cannot ensure the conditions of physical separation at home or at the location declared by them;
- in case of non-compliance with the quarantine measure at home or at the declared location, for its duration, although the person in question consented to it on the date of its establishment.
In the situation where a person refuses the measure of quarantine at home or at the location declared by them, or if he violates the measure of quarantine during its duration, although he previously consented to it, the doctor or the control bodies recommend, and the representative of the public health department decides to quarantine the person in the special space designated by the authorities, if they find the risk of transmission of an infectious disease with an imminent risk of community transmission.
The decision is issued no later than 8 hours after the information given by the doctor or the control bodies and is immediately communicated to the person concerned.
The measure is instituted during the specific incubation period of the suspected infectious disease. The measure ends upon the expiry of the specific term of the incubation period or before, as a result of the confirmation of the person as a carrier of the highly pathogenic agent, with or without suggestive signs and symptoms specific to the case definition, from that moment the provisions regarding the isolation measure are applicable.
In order to prevent the spread of the infectious disease, until the communication of the decision of the public health department rejecting the measure of quarantine recommended in the special space designated by the authorities or, as the case may be, until the communication of the decision of the first court, the person in question cannot leave the residence, the declared location for quarantine or, as the case may be, the special space designated by the authorities, without the consent of the doctor or the representative of the public health department.
Isolation is instituted for sick people with suggestive signs and symptoms specific to the case definition, as well as for people carrying the highly pathogenic agent, even if they do not show suggestive signs and symptoms.
Isolation of people is instituted at their home, at the location declared by them, in sanitary units or in alternative locations attached to them.
Isolation of people is instituted with their consent, and in the absence of consent, when the doctor finds the risk of transmission of an infectious disease with imminent risk of community transmission, in a health facility or in an alternative location attached to the health facility, for the purpose of carrying out examinations clinical, paraclinical and biological evaluations, until receiving their results, but not more than 48 hours.
At the latest at the end of the 48-hour period, based on clinical and paraclinical examinations and if the risk of transmission of the infectious disease with a risk of community transmission persists, the doctor recommends extending the isolation measure in a health facility, in an alternative location attached to the health facility or at the person's residence or at the location declared by him.
Isolation at home or at the declared location is instituted if the risk of contaminating other people or spreading the infectious disease is low. Isolation at home or at the declared location cannot be ordered in situations where official scientific information regarding the type of highly pathogenic agent, the route of transmission and the transmissibility rate require the isolation of people exclusively in a health facility or an alternative location attached to it.
In the situation where people refuse the isolation measure, the doctor immediately informs, after recording the person's refusal, the public health department, which, within two hours at the most, will issue the decision confirming or denying the isolation measure recommended by the doctor, in the unit sanitary or in an alternative location attached to it. The decision has an individual character and is immediately communicated to the person concerned.
In the situation where the specified persons refuse the prolonged and recommended isolation measure or if the persons violate the isolation measure established at home or at the declared location for its duration, although they previously consented to it, the doctor or, as the case may be, the control bodies immediately inform the direction of public health of the county or of the municipality of Bucharest, which can confirm or deny the measure of isolation in a health unit or at an alternative location attached to it, through an individual decision. The decision will be issued within two hours at the latest from the information provided by the doctor or the control bodies and will be communicated immediately to the person concerned.
The isolation measure ends on the date the person is confirmed as cured based on clinical and paraclinical examinations or on the recommendation of the doctor who states that the risk of transmission of the disease no longer exists.
If the person is a minor, the measure of isolation is instituted for him at the domicile of the person belonging to him or at the location declared by him. The isolation of the minor in a health facility or at an alternative location attached to it is instituted according to the regulations in force. The minor's owner is subject to the measure of quarantine under this law, if the measure of isolation does not apply to him.
Both the measure of quarantine and that of isolation can be challenged in court.
The communication of procedural documents, including the registration of the action, is carried out in format and by electronic means.
Also, by CNSU Decision number 36 of July 21, 2020, the categories of persons exempted from the quarantine measure were established, as follows:
- people who come to Romania from countries that are not on the list of states exempt from quarantine/isolation measures (green zone) but who, before arriving in Romania, have spent a consecutive period of at least 14 days in one or more countries for which this measure is not established;
- drivers of goods transport vehicles with a maximum authorized capacity of more than 2,4 tons;
- drivers of passenger transport vehicles that have more than 9 seats, including the driver's seat;
- drivers of goods transport and passenger transport who travel in the interest of carrying out their profession from their state of residence to another member state of the European Union or from another state of the European Union to the state of residence, regardless of whether the travel is done by individual means or on own account;
- members of the European Parliament, parliamentarians and staff belonging to international institutions and the national defense system, public order and national security, as well as representatives of Romania in international bodies and organizations to which the Romanian state is a party;
- aircraft pilots and flight personnel;
- locomotive drivers and railway staff;
- the Romanian seafaring personnel, maritime and inland, repatriating by any means of transport, who present to the competent authorities the "certificate for workers in the international transport sector", the model of which is published in the Official Journal of the European Union, series C, no. 96 I of March 24, 2020;
- maritime and river navigation personnel who carry out the crew change on board ships located in Romanian ports, regardless of the flag they fly, if upon entering the country, as well as when boarding/disembarking from the ship, they present to the competent authorities the "certificate for workers in the sector international transport", the model of which is published in the Official Journal of the European Union, series C, no. 96 I of March 24, 2020;
- navigating personnel disembarking from inland waterway vessels flying the Romanian flag in a Romanian port, provided that the employers provide the certificate for international transport workers and personal protective equipment against COVID-19 during travel from the ship to the location where it can be contacted between voyages;
- cross-border workers entering Romania from Hungary, Bulgaria, Serbia, Ukraine or the Republic of Moldova, as well as Romanian citizens employed by economic operators from the mentioned countries, who upon entering the country prove the contractual relations with the respective economic operators;
- employees of the Romanian economic operators who perform works, according to the concluded contracts, outside the Romanian territory, on their return to the country, if they prove the contractual relations with the beneficiary outside the national territory;
- representatives of foreign companies that have subsidiaries/branches/representative offices or agencies on the national territory, if upon entering the territory of Romania they prove the contractual relations with the economic entities on the national territory;
- persons entering Romania for activities of use, installation, commissioning, maintenance, service of equipment and technology in the medical, scientific, economic, defense, public order and national security, transportation, as well as persons carrying out specific professional activities in the mentioned fields, if they prove the contractual / collaboration relations with the beneficiary / beneficiaries on the Romanian territory, as well as the inspectors of the international bodies;
- members of diplomatic missions, consular offices and other accredited diplomatic representations in Bucharest, holders of diplomatic passports, staff assimilated to diplomatic staff, as well as members of the Diplomatic and Consular Corps of Romania and holders of diplomatic and service passports, as well as their family members;
- the employees of the national defense, public order and national security system who return to Romania from missions performed abroad;
- pupils/students, Romanian citizens or citizens with domicile or residence outside Romania, who have to take entrance exams or to complete their studies, who start their studies in educational units/institutions on the territory of the country or move for activities related to the completion/ organizing the start of studies;
- members of international sports delegations participating in sports competitions organized on the territory of Romania, in accordance with the law."
