Nelu TataruJ, the Minister of Health, was recently asked if Bucharest should go into quarantine due to the large number of cases, but he stated that for now all the necessary conditions are not met for such a measure to be imposed in the capital.
Nelu Tataru is basically saying what I have been hearing from various other officials, and this is because no one in the Government wants Bucharest to go into quarantine, whether it will be needed or not, the goal being not to impose such a measure too soon.
"A quarantine of a locality involves several things, not necessarily the index we have, accumulated in the last 14 days. There are some minor, major criteria, but the major criteria are, for example, the existence and occupancy of the hospitals in that locality. There are points that are made. For example, if the ward and intensive care are occupied over 90 percent, there are 20 points. If only the section or only ATI are occupied - 15 points. At this moment, Bucharest does not fit in," the minister added.
The cases that come, or the infections that come, occur in the pre-hospital, not respecting some rules. Whether we want it or not, we have to admit. We are the ones who receive these cases, we are the same people, we medically manage a pandemic.
I think that the efforts should be sustained and common. We are still trying to limit the pre-hospital part, introducing those rules and sometimes up to quarantine. You don't close a country, you effectively close the areas where you see that the transmission is accentuated, imposing other rules. But quarantine is the last of them."
