The Ministry of Health has published a ministerial order detailing the rules that will be the basis for the application of quarantine and isolation measures for Romanian citizens based on the new law that entered into force in Romania the other day.
The Ministry of Health had to issue a ministerial order to regulate how the law can be implemented, and now there is also this information, so that Romanians know what to expect if they are confirmed to be infected with the new Coronavirus.
"Nelu Tătaru, the Minister of Health approved the method of applying measures to prevent and limit SARS-COV-2 illnesses, in accordance with the new legal provisions approved by the Quarantine and Isolation Law.
Thus, *Order of the Minister of Health no. 1309/2020 regarding the method of applying measures to prevent and limit SARS-COV-2 illnesses* establishes the criteria for the quarantine or isolation of people, as the case may be, as well as the quarantine of localities, and was published in course this morning in Official Gazette 642.
Quarantine of people
According to the document, quarantine will be imposed for:
a) persons who came into direct contact with at least one person confirmed with SARS-COV-2, by testing with the RT-PCR method;
b) persons arriving from countries and/or areas with high epidemiological risk, countries and/or areas established by the INSP, under the conditions of the law.
Quarantine will be carried out, as the case may be, at the home of the quarantined person, at a location declared by him or in spaces specially designated by the competent authorities.
The attending physician or the control bodies recommend quarantine. The attending physician has the obligation to inform within a maximum of 2 hours the direction of public health of the county or of the municipality of Bucharest, which confirms or denies the measure of quarantining the person in the special space designated by the authorities.
The representative of the public health department (DSP) issues an administrative decision regarding the quarantine of the person in the special space designated by the authorities within 8 hours at most from the information given by the attending physician.
In order to prevent the spread of the infectious disease, until the communication of the decision of the public health department confirming or denying the quarantine measure recommended in the special space designated by the authorities or, as the case may be, until the communication of the decision of the first instance, the person in question cannot leave the residence , the location declared for quarantine or, as the case may be, the special space designated by the authorities.
All the normative act published today establishes the criteria used in the assessment of the epidemiological risk of illness with the SARS-CoV-2 virus in order to establish the zonal quarantine.
Zonal quarantine
Zonal quarantine will be carried out under the following conditions:
1. increasing trend for the last 14 days;
2. infection rate above the alert level (3 cases/1000 inhabitants);
3. the majority of cases within the community compared to outbreaks registered in closed communities (residential centers, health facilities);
4. the share of the population aged 65 and over, both in the locality and in the rural areas of the county;
5. insufficient staff for conducting epidemiological investigations within the DSP, in relation to the number of confirmed cases;
6. insufficient medical personnel in hospitals that provide medical assistance to suspected/confirmed patients with COVID-19 (outbreaks among medical personnel), insufficient provision of personal protective equipment;
7. the degree of bed occupancy, both on the COVID wards and on the ATI wards >90%, with patients from the respective area;
8. the population in the affected area is not compliant with the home isolation regime for 14 days following close contact with a confirmed case or confirmed cases isolated at home.
The INSP evaluates the local situation analysis proposed by the DSP and, in case of favorable approval, will forward it to the county committee for emergency situations (CJSU).
Zonal quarantine is instituted by order of the head of the Department for Emergency Situations or the person designated by him, based on the decision of the CJSU.
The proposal to lift the zonal quarantine measure will be made based on the analysis of the epidemiological situation carried out by DSP 14 days after its establishment. The analysis will be evaluated by the INSP and in the case of a favorable approval, it will be sent to the CJSU.
The decision to lift the quarantine is made by order of the head of the Department for Emergency Situations or the person designated by him, based on the decision of the CJSU.
Isolation of people
The isolation of people diagnosed with the SARS-CoV-2 virus by RT-PCR testing or with signs and symptoms suggestive of infection with the SARS-COV-2 virus, according to the case definition established by the National Center for Surveillance and Control of Communicable Diseases, is carried out as follows :
a) in the health units designated by the Ministry of Health that provide medical assistance to patients with COVID 19 or in buffer zones of other hospitals in the public or private health network, until co-confirmation of infection with the SARS COV 2 virus by RT-PCR test;
b) alternative location attached to a health facility;
c) at home or at a declared location, for asymptomatic patients, after clinical and paraclinical evaluation for a period of 14 days from the date of diagnosis.
Isolation is instituted based on the consent of the persons subject to the examination, in order to carry out clinical, paraclinical examinations and biological evaluations, until the results are received, 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 SARS-CoV-2 virus remains, the doctor recommends extending the isolation measure in one of the locations provided.
In the situation where the person refuses the measure of isolation or the measure of prolonging the isolation, the doctor immediately informs, after recording the refusal of the person, the direction of public health of the county or of the municipality of Bucharest, which, within no more than 2 hours, will issue the decision confirming or refutes the measure of isolation or extension of isolation recommended by the doctor.
In order to prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, until the communication of the decision of the public health department confirming or denying the measure of isolation or the extension of isolation recommended in the special space designated by the authorities or, as the case may be, until the communication of the decision of the first instance , the person in question cannot leave the location where he is isolated without the consent of the doctor or the representative of the public health department.
The isolation measure instituted 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 diagnosed with the SARS-CoV-2 virus by testing with the RT-PCR method or with signs and symptoms suggestive of infection with the SAR-CO-2 virus, is a minor, the measure of isolation is instituted as the case may be, at the owner's residence or at the declared location by this one. 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.
For people who were discharged or refused hospitalization in July 2020, the health units and county ambulance services, respectively the Bucharest and Ilfov ambulance service, under the coordination of the county DSP/Bucharest municipality, carry out their identification as an emergency , based on observation sheets, ambulance request forms, RT-PCR analysis bulletins issued by authorized laboratories, as well as any other medical information confirming infection with the SARS-COV-2 virus, as well as their clinical and paraclinical evaluation , in order to establish the measures required to limit the spread of the disease in the community, as follows:
a) Symptomatic patients with a positive SARS-COV-2 test will be isolated. Isolation of patients is instituted with their consent, based on the assessment of the attending physician, and in his absence, by decision of DSP which is communicated immediately to the person subject to the measure, under the conditions provided for in art. 8 of Law 136/2020.
b) people with positive RT-PCR for detecting infection with the SARS-COV-2 virus will be isolated in the locations provided according to the order of the minister.
The decisions to confirm or deny the measures of isolation, extension of isolation or quarantine, are administrative documents of an individual nature that can be contested by the persons who consider themselves injured in the competent court under the terms of Law no. 136 of July 18, 2020."
