Restrictions Partially Lifted in Bucharest Despite Warnings from Ministry of Health

Bucharest restaurants, cinemas, theaters and gambling venues, including the state Lottery ones, are opened indoors as of Monday, January 25. The decision came from the Bucharest Municipality Committee for Emergency Situation, despite the warnings from the Ministry of Health.

The hospitality entrepreneurs are desperate after a year where their restaurants and coffee shops remained closed for more than 9 months and they wanted the restrictions to be lifted sooner. Still, the rate of infections in Bucharest remained above 3 per 1,000 inhabitants over the previous 14 days for a long time. In fact, Bucharest was the last major city in Romania to keep the restrictions because of this.

Now, restaurants and all the other venues can operate at 30% capacity from 6.00 to 21.00. Of course, they have to impose the social distancing and prevention rules for the clients. All the other restrictions are kept in Bucharest (mask indoors and outdoors in public spaces), but the decision is seen as a step towards normality by many.

On the other hand, specialists warn that it is not the moment for celebration yet. The new strains, especially the British one, are not yet fully understood and it seems the British variant of the new coronavirus is more contagious, but also deadlier. On top of that, Anthony Fauci, the American leading immunologist, said that the Pfizer vaccine is not so efficient against the British strain and the European Commission contracted mostly this vaccine for immunizing its population.

Romanian authorities try to vaccinate 10 million adult inhabitants until September, a mission which seems impossible at the moment. The early issues with delivering the vaccine batches from Pfizer are not solved yet, not only in Romania, but across Europe, and the vaccination campaign in Romania still hasn’t got the necessary pace. Yet, the authorities look confident and promised they would reach the target by September.

Photo source: Madame B – Tea & Pancake House