COVID-19 situation in Romania 2023

As of March 2, 2023, there were over 3.3 million cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) reported in Romania. The spread of the virus had a relatively slow evolution in March 2020, the highest daily increase being reported in October 2022. However, given that at that time the number of coronavirus cases was severely impacting Spain and Italy, the Romanian authorities reacted promptly. As a result, an emergency regime was decreed by the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, starting on March 16. Since May 17, the emergency regime has been replaced with a state of alert.

 COVID-19 spread in Romania

Because of the lack of proper medical equipment in the beginning of the pandemic in Romania, COVID-19 started spreading in Suceava via hospitals and medical personnel, before making Bucharest the city with the highest number of infections. Nearly 34 thousand employees in the Romanian healthcare system tested positive for COVID-19 as of May 15, 2021. As a consequence of the emergency regime and of the rising number of cases, people could only leave their houses under restrictive conditions and for limited purposes. Moreover, people above 65 years old had a specific time frame in which they could leave their houses.

Trust in the Romanian authorities

The most reliable Romanian public figure during the coronavirus crisis in Romania was the State Secretary and Head of the Emergency Department within the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs, Raed Arafat. He constantly encouraged people to stay home, kept the population updated and underlined the need for restrictive measures. At the same time, the Romanian army remained the most trusted institution not only during the coronavirus epidemic, but also in general.

For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated Facts and Figures page.