Two other new cases of the novel Coronavirus have been confirmed in Romania on Saturday, with the toll climbing to 99 countrywide.
The last cases are a 53yo woman from Constanta, a laboratory doctor, who traveled to Austria and Germany, and a 54yo man, the woman’s husband. The two returned from Vienna on March 7.
34 cases of the new coronavirus have been confirmed in Romania on Friday, with the toll thus mounting to 97 people infected. There are the most numerous cases of contaminated people confirmed in only one day. Six of the patients have been declared cured and discharged.
After reaching the toll of 101 cases, Romania will enter stage 3, when there will be 101 to 2,000 cases registered and every hospital will prioritise the new coronavirus cases and other cases that are not urgent will be delayed. All infectious disease hospitals will treat only COVID-19 cases, while patients with other affections will be relocated to other medical centres. Spaces to treat coronavirus cases will be expanded and additional doctors will be summoned for work. At the same time new circulation restrictions will be imposed. New quarantine spaces will be identified and it is possible that authorities introduce the measure of home quarantine, under special guarding.
The last cases confirmed are a 47yo woman from Bucharest, a direct contact of a man who had returned from Italy. She has no symptoms and is in self isolation at home. The second case is a 39yo man from Dolj county who returned from Brescia, Italy on March 5, who had been under isolation until March 12 when he developed symptoms specific to COVID-19 and was admitted to the Hospital for Infectious Diseases in Craiova.
Among the last cases confirmed in Romania late on Friday night are a 1yo baby, but also a 41yo woman from Iasi who returned from Dubai on March 8 and commuted from Iasi to Bucharest, and after that she went to work in Mures. She had the first symptoms after four days, namely on March 12.
Previously confirmed on Friday, there were also a 26yo woman who has been under self-isolation since March 9, currently admitted at the Victor Babes Hospital for Infections Diseases in Bucharest, and 26yo man from Prahova, returned from Italy on March 12 and place under quarantine in Busteni.
A 44yo man from Brasov who returned from Boston on March 11 and was admitted on March 12 with symptoms specific to COVID-19 has also tested positive today, as well as a 51yo woman from Brasov who returned from Italy and who is currently under quarantine, a 16yo young girl from Covasna, contact of an infected person and a 77yo woman, contact of another woman who returned from Italy.
Other cases just confirmed are a doctor, Gerota hospital manager and a patient of the first doctor infected at Gerota Hospital where the retire police officer had been admitted.
Previous confirmed cases are a 40yo woman under quarantine in Timisoara, a 50yo woman, under quarantine in Timisoara and a 33yo woman from Timis.
There are three men, a woman from Constanta and two men from Mehedinti (a 26yo man who returned from Italy on March 12 and a 52yo woman also from Mehedinti, contact of the 26yo man, also returned from Italy on March 12). Both cases are under quarantine in Mehedinti.
On Friday morning other five cases had been confirmed, all from Bucharest, where there are now 25 cases.
It’s a 39-year-old man who got in contact with another person who traveled to Germany. There are also a 53-year-old man (co-worker) with a member of the family of the Gerota patient, the retired police officer a 48yo woman and a 22yo young woman, family members of the 53yo man and a 23yo young man, contact of that man’s family.
So, directly or indirectly, the former police officer, initially admitted to the Interior Ministry’s hospital “Dimitrie Gerota” has already infected 13 people. “It proves the recklessness of this man“, Nelut Tataru, secretary of state at the Health Ministry told Digi24.
The cases have been confirmed following blood tests at Matei Bals Institute for Infectious Diseases.
The first MP infected, PNL leadership, PM to be isolated
A Romanian MP has been infected with the new coronavirus after attending an international meeting (a NATO meeting in Brussels), in a country where there many cases.
Leader of PNL Constanta, Bogdan Hutuca told Ordinea.ro that senator Vergil Chitac tested positive for coronavirus.
Interim PM Ludovic Orban confirmed it’s the Liberal senator Vergil Chitac, also announcing that the entire PNL leadership will isolate, including him and all Liberal senators. The infected senator has attended the National Politic Bureau of PNL, so he go in contact with his Liberal colleagues. PM Orban will isolate himself at Vila Lac 1 for 14 days.
“All members of the PNL National Political Bureau will be tested asap and we all be isolated at home. I will be isolated at Vila Lac 1 for 14 days. Regardless of my diagnosis, I will fulfill my tasks. There is a Government. Minister must stay in office to take decisions. The soft that allows us to hold Government sittings online is almost functional,” said the interim PM.
Besides those over 100 Liberal members who got in contact with him and the rest of the MPs from other parties, senator Chitac would have participated at a party on Women’s Day on March 8 in Constanta, where around 400 women of Muslim origin, as the event was organised by the Cultural Union of Tartars in Romania.
Moreover, another PNL deputy, Bogdan Hutuca would be infected with COVID-19.
Nicusor Dan, endorsed by USR and PNL for Bucharest mayor seat, is also under home isolation after he had attended a sitting where Chitac had also participated. In his turn, USR senator Stelain Ion said he had met and shook hands with Vergil Chitac on February 21 in Parliament during the hearing sitting of Justice minister Catalin Predoiu.
Consultations through video conference
Orban added he had informed president Klaus Iohannis about this situation and PNL will not attend the consultations summoned at Cotroceni Palace today to talk about the nomination of a new PM, after PM-designate Florin Citu had stepped aside yesterday.
In retort, President Iohannis announced he will have consultations with the political parties through video conference.
Programme of the video conference:
13:00hrs – National Liberal Party (PNL);
Journalists accredited to Parliament, Government and Presidency to be tested for COVID-19
All journalists accredited to Parliament, Government and Presidency who have been at those institutions’ HQs in the past three days will be tested for COVID-19, as two MPs have tested positive. According to procedures, people who are in the Parliament building will be tested today, and those who are at home will enter under self-isolation procedure, and will be tested in the upcoming period.