Hungary’s eastern neighbor Romania has ordered all its schools and kindergartens closed until March 22, acting Prime Minister Ludovic Orban announced on Monday.
Orban said the measure was taken because tens of thousands of Romanians working in Italy are headed back home, having had left the country just before a full lockdown was instituted on Monday.
Raed Arafat, secretary state for internal affairs and head of the general inspectorate for emergency situations, announced on Sunday that events with more than 1,000 participants are banned till March 31 nationwide to curb the spread of the virus.
The restriction applies to all indoor and outdoor events; local authorities will decide about events with less than 1,000 participants, he explained.
The measure will be in effect until March 31, but it might be extended depending on the spread of the coronavirus. The Romanian authorities also decided that schools where infected people attended will be closed. In-hospital trainings are also suspended, and authorities ordered a visitor ban as well.
All flights to and from Italy will be suspended due to the spread of coronavirus, said Internal Affairs Minister Marcel Vela on Monday. The decision was made by the Strategic Communication Group. The suspension of flights will started on March 9, and will end on March 23.
The minister added that airlines must inform passengers arriving to Romania from Italy, China, Iran, and South Korea about the quarantine rules in Romania, meaning they cannot land in the country.
People coming from the aforementioned countries via land or water must go into quarantine or must isolate themselves in their homes.
As of Sunday, 15 people had been diagnosed with the COVID-19 virus in Romania, five of whom have already recovered and have been released from the hospital. Romania has 11 people in institutional quarantine, under medical watch, while 12,877 people are isolated in their homes.
Title image: A member of the medical staff measures the temperature of a traveler at an autobahn park place near Gries am Brenner, Austrian province of Tyrol, at border crossing with Italy on Tuesday, March 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Kerstin Joensson )
