March 16 (SeeNews) - Romania's new liberal government headed by National Liberal Party (PNL) leader Ludovic Orban was sworn in amidst precautions imposed by the spread of the coronavirus infection.
Orban's minority cabinet was backed by 286 MPs on Saturday, well above the 233 votes needed for approval, according to data published by the lower chamber of parliament.
Representatives of the media were not allowed to participate in the swearing-in ceremony, as members of the government are in self-quarantine for 14 days after a senator they were in contact with tested positive for coronavirus.
On Saturday, the government said in a press release that all of its members tested negative for the coronavirus, but remain in isolation.
Romanian president Klaus Iohannis tasked interim prime minister Ludovic Orban with forming a transitional government on Friday - a day after the previous prime minister designate, Florin Citu, gave up the mandate.
Right after the ceremony, Iohannis announced in a televised statement that a countrywide state of emergency would be introduced in Romania at the beginning of this week in order to allow authorities to speed-up the decision-making process and simplify the purchase of medical supplies.
Romania has confirmed 157 coronavirus cases as of Monday, the latest data from the National Institute of Public Health showed.
(1 euro = 4.8174 lei)