March 31 (SeeNews) - Romania has placed the northeastern city of Suceava and eight surrounding villages in quarantine after a quarter of the 2,109 registered infections with the new coronavirus in the country were reported there, authorities said.
The quarantine in Suceava will last until the nationwide state of emergency ends, expected in mid-April, officials from the interior and health ministries said in a televised statements on Monday night.
The villages in quarantine are Patrauti, Mitocu Dragmirnei, Adancata, Scheia, Salcea, Ipotesti, Moara and Bosanci.
Out of 593 infected people registered in Suceava thus far, 285 are doctors from the Suceava county hospital, which is now considered to be the source of the outbreak of the coronavirus infection in the city. The hospital manager was dismissed due to poor management of the crisis, authorities say.
Romania has so far registered 68 deaths from the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), according to health ministry data.
At the same time 209 people have recovered and have been discharged from hospital.
As of Monday evening, 9,464 people were in quarantine in Romania, while the condition of 124,235 people staying at home was being monitored.
On Thursday, Romania's health minister Victor Costache resigned. A day earlier Costache said that all residents of the capital Bucharest and the big cities in the country will be tested for the new coronavirus, sparking public controversy.
Since Wednesday, people 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.
The 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.