Corona and Democracy - Romania

Information on COVID-19 measures and democracy

  8 March:

• The Head of the Department for Emergency Situations, Raed Arafat, announces a ban on all indoor or outdoor activities involving the participation of more than 1,000 people until March 31.

  9 March:

• Officials announce the cessation of flights to and from Italy, at all airports in the country until March 23.[21] 
• The National Committee for Special Emergency Situations decides to close all schools from 11 until 22 March, with the possibility of extending the measure.
• All bus rides and rail transport to and from Italy are suspended from 10 until 31 March.[22][23] The Committee also decides to establish a series of obligations for food units and for public and private providers of passenger transport, such as frequent disinfection of surfaces, avoiding crowds in commercial spaces, frequent disinfection of the passenger compartment in the means of transport, etc.[24]

  11 March:

•  the Government publishes a list of fifteen guidelines regarding the "responsible social behavior in preventing the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19)".[25] 
• The authorities impose a ban on sports, scientific, religious, cultural or entertainment events with over 100 participants in closed spaces until March 31.[26] 
• public activities for museums are suspended until March 31.[27]
• Serbian authorities close seven border points with Romania.[28] 
• Interior Minister Marcel Vela announces that the border crossing points with low traffic have been closed so that employees can be directed to high traffic posts.[31] 
• Health Minister Victor Costache issues an order prohibiting the export of medicines and medical equipment for six months.[32]

  21 March:

•  a second Military Ordinance is issued allowing no groups larger than 3 persons on the streets. Leaving home between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. for no reason is prohibited.
• All shopping malls are closed, except for the sale of food, veterinary or pharmaceutical products and cleaning services.
• It is forbidden to enter the territory of Romania for foreign citizens and stateless persons, except when they transit through the territory of Romania, through the transit corridor, organised by agreements with the neighboring states (more exceptions are made for other categories like: residents, family members, and others).
• March:
• The government announces Military Ordinance No.3, instituting a national lockdown and calling in the military to support police and Gendarmerie personnel in enforcing the new restrictions. Starting 25 March, movement outside the home or household is prohibited, with some exceptions (work, buying food or medicine etc.). People over 65 years-old are allowed to leave their homes only between 11 a.m.-1 p.m.[61][62]  Romanians who leave their homes must show to the authorities either a statement on their own responsibility or certificates from their employers. Over 12,000 policemen make filters on Wednesday throughout Romania to check those who left their homes.
• The state airline Tarom suspended all internal flights.[63]
• The Romanian Police announces that after the first day of total quarantine in the country more than 5,600 people were fined for leaving the house without having any supporting documents or without a good reason. The total value of the fines exceeds RON 7.4 million (EUR 1.54 mln).

  29 March:

• A fourth Military Ordinance is issued, further strengthening previously imposed fines and restrictions.[64] 

  30 March:

• Two more Military Ordinances are issued; namely, a fifth, extending the ban on international travel,[65] and a sixth, placing Suceava, along with eight adjacent communes, under total quarantine,[66][67] It is the first Romanian city to be placed under a complete lockdown since the start of the outbreak in late February, holding over a quarter of all infected cases,[67] and about two thirds of all infected medical personnel.[57][54][56][68][69][70][71] Some hospital staff have quit, others have signed a petition stating they "are sent to death barehanded".[72]

  4 April:

•  a seventh Military Ordinance is issued, further extending the national lockdown period, and placing yet a second town under strict quarantine.[74] 

  9 April:

• an eighth Military Ordinance comes into effect, reinforcing previously adopted measures, and e.g. prohibiting the export of certain basic foods. 
• The EU Commission, German Food Minister Julia Klöckner and the German agricultural industry, who largely depends on seasonal workers to cultivate their fields or have them harvested, convinced the German Ministry of the Interior to allow a total of 80,000 seasonal workers to enter the country in April and May - albeit subject to safety regulations to protect against infection. The first special flights were put on hold in Romania as safety regulations were largely disregarded and large transgressions were observed upon arrival of the first special flights to Germany on April 9.

• Shopping malls, kindergartens and schools are set to reopen as of June 15

• https://www.romania-insider.com/coronavirus-romania-president-restrictions-movement-may-15
• https://www.romania-insider.com/ro-reopens-malls-private-schools-june-9-2020

   14 March:

• Romanian MPs give Ludovic Orban's interim cabinet a vote of confidence - following a speedy appointment and teleconferenced hearings in a process the country has never witnessed before. Ending a political stalemate which began early February when lawmakers toppled Orban's minority Liberal government, parliamentary parties voted for Orban with near-unanimous support, giving now the former interim cabinet full powers to address the coronavirus epidemic. 
• The emergency parliamentary session took place in a disinfected room, where MPs, wearing surgical masks and disposable gloves, entered one by one to cast their votes. 
• MPs, who got tested for COVID-19 before the vote started, were able to question via phone or videoconference the upcoming members of cabinet about their ministerial plan. The majority of the Liberal ruling party MPs skipped the vote, together with the newly-appointment cabinet, finding themselves under quarantine.
• Romanian parliament regulations do not allow for remote voting, yet measures were taken so that future exceptional situations will permit an online vote.
• "I voted as if I were in a contaminated area, wearing protective gear and with the conviction that it is my duty to invest the government with full powers so that it can help citizens fight the coronavirus pandemic," Vlad Alexandrescu, Romanian parliament senator, told EUobserver."It was a vote carried under extraordinary circumstances, where there was no room for opposition or debate, although many things could have been said about this procedure", Alexandrescu added. (https://euobserver.com/coronavirus/147762)

• Stateless persons are not allowed to enter the country, except when they transit through the territory of Romania, through the transit corridor, organised by agreements with the neighboring states: This could pose a problem for those permanently residing in Romania.

• The state of emergency and the fight against fake news have raised concerns about media freedom under the lockdown

• https://balkaninsight.com/2020/03/31/romanias-state-of-emergency-raises-media-freedom-concerns/

   12 March:

• The Romanian Ombudsman asks President Klaus Iohannis to declare the state of emergency and the Romanian Parliament to approve it. In a televised statement, the Secretary of State in the Ministry of Health, Nelu Tătaru [ro], says the current situation does not require such an extreme measure.

   16 March:

• Iohannis issues a decree establishing the state of emergency in Romania for a period of 30 days.

• The opposition will vote against extending the state of alert if the government issues an ordinance in this regard

• https://www.romania-insider.com/state-alert-air-train-travel-may-2020 https://www.romania-insider.com/romania-president-iohannis
• https://www.romania-insider.com/psd-oppose-state-alert-extension

   4 April:

• Various counties and localities have started drafting local legislation requiring citizens to wear protection masks, whether professional or improvised.