PM Orban on recommendation from WHO regarding schools reopening: We want to reduce infections

Prime Minister Ludovic Orban on Friday said in Suceava, in response to the World Health Organization's recommendation to reopen schools, that the government's goal is to reduce the number of daily SARS-CoV-2 infections.

"For now, our goal is to reduce the number of daily injections, to protect people's health, to make sure that as few Romanians as possible get sick, by firmly applying all the measures we have taken," Orban said.

Asked if the Romanian state could turn to other companies to purchase the anti-COVID-19 vaccine than from the company approved by the European Commission, the Prime Minister replied: "I am not giving you an answer now. I have announced that I ordered the measures for the establishment of the National Steering Committee for the vaccination campaign. We are also working on the vaccination strategy and you will find your answer related to this topic there too, as soon as it's ready. The President of Romania considers the issue of vaccination a national security issue. Mr President Iohannis has been organizing working meetings for a while now on this topic and these meetings will continue. We are going to take all measures so that we can offer every Romanian who wants to be vaccinated the opportunity to be vaccinated."

Prime Minister Ludovic Orban participated on Friday, in Suceava, in the handover of the works of the bypass road of the Radauti municipality. He also went to Pojorata after that, where CFR (National Railway Company) representatives presented him a work train, recently purchased, which is able to restore the entire railway infrastructure.

The World Health Organization (WHO) pleaded on Thursday for the need to keep schools open during the coronavirus pandemic, believing that quarantine can be avoided if protection measures are increased, EFE reported.

"We need to provide education for our children," said WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge, who said that children and adolescents are not the main vectors of infection and that school closure is not effective.

Kluge argued that the isolation imposed was a "waste of resources" that caused many side effects, such as damage to mental health or increased episodes of domestic violence. In his opinion, if the wearing of protective masks exceeds 95pct among people, such drastic measures are not necessary.