Romania enforces new travel measures over omicron concerns
Romania enforces new travel measures over omicron concerns
BUCHAREST (AP) — Romania on Friday introduced new travel restrictions and isolation measures for people entering the country as officials seek to avert another health care crisis following the emergence of the omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Romania, a European Union country of about 19 million, faced its deadliest period of the pandemic through October and November and has so far confirmed three cases of omicron, which is thought to be more contagious than the previous coronavirus variant.
All three of Romania’s omicron cases have been detected in people connected with a government repatriation flight from South Africa to Bucharest at the end of November. Several others who returned on that flight have since tested positive for COVID-19, and sequencing is being carried out, the health ministry said.
The new travel rules will be enforced from Friday until Jan. 8 and aim to curb transmission over the winter holiday period. They include proof of a negative COVID-19 test, quarantine for unvaccinated travelers — and depend on the epidemiological risk of the country they arrive from. From Dec. 20, passenger location forms will also be implemented to improve the traceability of infections.
