The Romanian coronavirus (COVID-19) epicenter of Suceava has been sealed off from the outside world to stop the spread of the virus, Minister of Internal Affairs Marcel Vela announced yesterday evening. The action was necessary because the latest official numbers reveal that of the 2,109 confirmed cases, 593 are located in Suceava County.
As a result, the city of Suceava and eight neighboring settlements have been locked down, and a protection zone has been established around the affected settlements: Adâncata, Salcea, Ipoteşti, Bosanci, Moara, Şcheia, Pătrăuţi and Mitocu Dragomirnei.
Free movement is only allowed for freight traffic bringing in goods for economic activities and supplies for the citizens of the area and for people living in other settlements but working in the quarantined area. Suceava airport traffic is restricted to cargo, postal, technical, humanitarian and medical emergency services. The quarantine also prohibits traffic for personal reasons between the locked-down settlements.
As it turns out, Suceava Hospital didn’t report that 13 patients had died between March 22 and 29, all of whom were confirmed to be carrying the novel coronavirus. With this update, the number of casualties in Romania now stands at 68.
The rapid spread of the coronavirus in Suceava was due to medical and public administration errors, Health Minister Nelu Tătaru said. Lack of personnel prevented the hospital from performing tests at the pace required in such circumstances. As a result, it is possible that there are more than 1,000 infected people walking freely in the streets; hence, the need for the quarantine, he argued.
Title image: Pixabay
