President Klaus Iohannis speech on COVID-19 crisis

Hello, dear Romanians,

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 epidemic is still among us. This is not the time to relax. We are approaching the number of one thousand victims of this epidemic very quickly. We still have hundreds of new cases every day.

However, the administrative date of May 15 is approaching, when the state of emergency ends and we will enter another form of organization, typical for epidemic situations, called the state of alert. Many Romanians ask themselves and us what changes after May 15, what does not change, what news we have for them.

Hand hygiene becomes essential and is extremely important. We must wash our hands as often as possible and always when we come home from the store or from an outside activity.
What reopens? There is a lot of talk about so-called relaxation. I stated at the beginning: it is not the time to relax, but certain activities must be resumed. In this case, commerce is partially reopened, the shops that have access from the outside can be reopened, the ones that have direct access from the street, the personal care salons, the museums.
An issue that we cannot dispose of, but we can recommend: we recommend to the local authorities that from May 15 the parks be reopened for public access.

What do you give up? What does this relaxation mean for each of us? The obligation to stay at home is waived and so is the obligation to make a declaration when we travel inside the locality. So, be careful, we can move inside the area where we live without the need of a statement, without the need for someone's consent. However, in the interest of us and those we want to protect, we must not exaggerate, we must cancel the trips that can be given up without too many sacrifices. What remains, however, mandatory is, in the first stage, to not travel outside the city, of course, with exceptions. These exceptions will be listed in the decision of the National Committee for Emergency Situations, they are natural exceptions, for example, who goes to work, goes; you can go outside the city for agricultural work; you can leave town for individual sports, for example cycling. However, when we leave the locality, a statement is still needed, except in the metropolitan areas, where, for example, from the communes around Bucharest, a lot of people come to work in Bucharest and return. For these trips, inside the metropolitan area, you will not need a statement. But if you go, for example, from Bucharest to a city in the province, to solve a problem that falls between the exceptions, you need a written statement

A topic that I personally consider very important and I know that there are many Romanians who consider this issue very serious - the churches. Religious services will be resumed in special conditions, namely religious services can be resumed in the first phase in the churchyard or in front of the church, so outside. People must wear a mask and must keep a distance of 1 meter and a half. In the second and third stages, these conditions will obviously be re-discussed, but we consider it important to take a first step and make religious services possible again, I repeat - in this first stage only outdoors.

I now want to thank and appreciate the work of those on the front lines in the fight against this epidemic - doctors, medical staff, staff helping in hospitals and other medical units. Today, in particular, congratulations to the nurses, because it is their international day!

There is still a category that I would like to mention, namely athletes. For athletes, we have two situations. Professionals can resume their training camps in special conditions of hygiene, medical checks, but sports competitions, in this first stage, will not start. So, I repeat - professional athletes can resume their training camps in very clear conditions described, but sports competitions will not resume now, in the first stage. For amateur athletes it is possible to resume their activity only where individual sports are done - individual sports, including if a sports base is used, but only outdoors. So, for amateurs it is possible to resume their activity only in individual sports and only outdoors. And if a sports base is used, access to the locker room, so where they change their equipment, is not allowed.

Finally, I address the Members of Parliament, the Parliament, which is working on a law that regulates the activities, restrictions and the way in which this state of alert is managed. There is an urgent need for this law and I call on the Parliament, the parliamentarians, to decide on this law as quickly as possible.
Thank you!

Source:RRA.Translated by Radu Matei