BUCHAREST – Romania to shorten the isolation and quarantine periods for COVID-19 positive people, their direct contacts and untested travellers from high-risk countries to varying lengths depending on whether they are vaccinated, health officials said on Friday (January 7).
Romania is the European Union’s second-least vaccinated state, with roughly 40% of the population fully inoculated amid distrust in state institutions and poor vaccine education.
For direct contacts of COVID-19 positive people and travellers arriving from high-risk countries, quarantine will last five days from 14 currently for people who are vaccinated or have already been infected, and 10 days for the unvaccinated, according to a decision approved on Friday.
The health ministry will approve a separate decree mandating that COVID-19 positive people will isolate for seven days if they are vaccinated and for 10 days if they are not, Pistol said.
The shorter isolation period is appropriate because of faster incubation of the new variant, officials said.
As of Saturday, wearing facial masks becomes mandatory in both outdoor and indoor public spaces, and officials have banned the use of cloth face coverings, saying surgical or FFP grade respirator masks offered better protection.
