April 6 (SeeNews) - Romania's president Klaus Iohannis said on Monday that he has decided to extend the nationwide state of emergency by a month, as confirmed cases of coronavirus disease in reached 4,057.
"It is clear we are not yet at the peak of the epidemic yet, this is no time to relax. We have reached the conclusion that we need to extend the state of emergency by one more month; a decree will be issued next week," Klaus Iohannis said in a televised statement broadcast by Digi 24.
Romanian authorities declared a 30-day state of emergency on March 16 in order to be able to tackle the coronavirus disease outbreak more efficiently.
There were 3,183 confirmed coronavirus cases in Romania as of Friday, up from 2,738 a day earlier, according to health ministry data.
As of Monday, the number of deaths from the disease has reached 157 in Romania, up from 116 on Friday, according to a press release published by the task force under the interior and health ministries. Thus far, 406 people have recovered and have been discharged from hospital.
As of Monday, 23,849 people were in quarantine in Romania, while the condition of 106,463 people suspected of being infected and staying at home was being monitored. A total of 40,987 tests have been carried out across the country as of Monday.
On Saturday, interior minister Marcel Vela said that Romania is suspending all flights to the U.S., Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Turkey and Iran, which have registered a significant increase in COVID-19 infections.
Since March 25, people in Romanian can go out only for work or to buy food and medicine. Citizens over 65 years of age can leave their homes only between 11.00 a.m. and 1.00 p.m. and for an hour in the evening to walk their pets. They can also go to the doctor at any hour during the day.