Romania introduces new restrictions on foreign travelers

The new rules apply starting tomorrow, 7 October

Romania’s National Committee for Emergency Situations (CNSU) approved new restrictions on Monday, 5 October 2020. Anyone coming to Romania from Spain, France, Netherlands, Belgium and the UK will have to go into quarantine for two weeks.

People who will spend less than three days in the country and who present a negative COVID-19 test taken within 48 hours before entering Romania will not have to quarantine. The new rules will apply starting tomorrow, 7 October 2020.

The list of high-risk countries has been expanded

CNSU expanded the yellow list of high-risk countries for which travel restrictions apply and included several EU countries that have recorded a surge in COVID-19 cases in recent days. These countries are Spain, Czechia, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Denmark, Slovakia, Austria and the UK are also on the list.

People coming from these countries who go into quarantine have the possibility to get out of isolation if they take a COVID-19 test on the eighth day and the result is negative. Furthermore, they should not present any symptoms.

Restrictions at the local level  

The Romanian local authorities are enforcing more restrictions in counties or localities where the number of new COVID-19 cases in the last two weeks goes over 1.5 per 100,000 inhabitants. Some of these measures include closing restaurants and cinemas and banning private events with many people. The companies have to allow their employees to work from home, where possible.

For example, today the Bucharest Public Health Entity proposed restaurants to shut down, banned private events with more than 50 participants as well as the open-air religious processions in the Romanian capital. Likewise, the authorities in Iasi county have already decided to close restaurants and cinemas in Iasi, the biggest city in eastern Romania.