PM Orban: Extending state of emergency is absolutely necessary, Romania is still at level of virus spreading in community

Extending the state of emergency is absolutely necessary because Romania is still at the stage of the virus spreading in the community and, according to estimations, the peak of the epidemic will be between 20 April and 5 May, as such, maintaining the measures which have no other purpose than to defend citizens' health is necessary, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said.

"We are still at the stage when the virus is spreading in the community, because, although the number of daily illnesses is, over the last period, at a level which clearly shows the correctness of the measures we have taken, there is still the risk of spreading. Only through maintaining the state of emergency we can enforce the measures to reduce the risk of spreading the epidemic. (...) The extension of the state of emergency is absolutely necessary and, because of the estimations in terms of the epidemic development, certainly, they are between the optimistic version and the less optimistic version, that the peak of the epidemic will be between 20 April and 5 May. (...)," Ludovic Orban said on Tuesday evening, at Realitatea Plus private television station, when asked why it is necessary to extend the state of emergency for another month.

The PM added that he feels sorry to see "political statements which don't take into account the reality," but estimated that the parliamentary parties opposing the government will vote for the Presidential Decree regarding the extension of the state of emergency.