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Bucharest Municipal Council for Emergency Situations has decided on Monday afternoon that the Capital should enter the red scenario, with schools going online and several venues, such as restaurants, cafes, cinema halls and theatres, as well as gambling halls being closed for the upcoming two weeks.
At the same time, people in Bucharest must wear face masks in all public indoor and outdoor spaces as a mandatory rule. The facemask is compulsory for all people, including children over 5.
The restrictions are coming in force as of Monday night.
The decision comes after the incidence rate of COVID-19 infections has climbed to 3.19 per one thousand inhabitants in Bucharest today.
Bucharest School Inspectorate had proposed earlier on Monday to the Bucharest Committee for Emergency Situations that schools enter in the red scenario. That means physical classes are suspended and pupils will attend exclusively online courses in the Capital city for 14 days. The moves comes after the Covid-19 infection rate has exceeded 3 per 1,000 inhabitants.
“We must relate to what happened yesterday – namely the infection rate topped 3 per thousand population. As a consequence, the Bucharest School Inspectorate will propose the suspension of face-to-face teaching activities for 14 days. (….) I understand that the Bucharest Municipality Committee for Emergency Situations will convene today at 15:00 hrs. (…) Classes are being held today according to the 2nd, hybrid scenario, as it has been until now, because the joint order of the Education and the Health Ministries provides that ‘in absence of a decision of the County Committee for Emergency Situations, the 2nd scenario shall apply,” Education minister Monica Anisie said before a meeting with the members of the Bucharest School Inspectorate.
“The Public Health Directorate of the Municipality of Bucharest notifies the Bucharest School Inspectorate of the infection incidence rate. If the rate exceeds 3 per thousand inhabitants as is the case today, the Inspectorate, together with the Public Health Directorate, send the Bucharest Municipality Committee for Emergency Situations the proposal for the 14-day suspension of in-person classes, which means that students no longer physically go to school, and learning continues online. (…) The legal provisions are clear and if we look at what happened in other counties, we’ll see that the decisions were taken by the county committees for emergency situations,” the Education Minister said, adding that other localities that operate as per the red scenario follow the procedure set forth in the relevant Minister’s Order and Government Decision.
On the other hand, PM Ludovic Orban has announced today that kindergartens and after-school units can remain open despite the infection rate’s going beyond 3 per one thousand inhabitants.
“Kindergartens and after-school units are exempted from the restrictions. Of course, as the school goes online, the regular after-school courses cannot function anymore, for pupils will not go to school anymore, but have online classes from home, ” PM Orban said.
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so arbitrary rules are being imposed against arbitrary maths – this will have no effect on the eventual outcome of this pandemic, it’s just pointless waste. The narrative of the virus continues unabated. Masks was mandatory in Belgium for nearly 7 weeks – they now have the highest instance of infection and have abandoned mandatory mask wearing outside – it simply has no positive effect.