The Minister of Health on the situation in which schools could be closed

It is very possible that in the coming weeks we will see a community transmission with the Omicron strain, which reproduces almost five times faster than the previous variants, said the Minister of Health, Alexandru Rafila.

However, a small proportion of cases end up in hospitals, so there is no reason to interrupt school activities, the minister explained. In his opinion, the decision to suspend classes should be taken only if the activity of the hospitals is blocked.

Alexandru Rafila: There are two elements that must be taken into account, not only the number of cases that are registered daily must be the indicator, but also the proportion of people who need regular hospital medical care, with oxygen or intensive care. The decision should take into account how this variant manifests itself clinically. If there are many cases, but with a small proportion of them that end up in the hospital, then we have no reason to interrupt school. Of course, if there are many cases and hospitals are blocked, then a temporary measure can be taken.

The minister added that health protection measures must continue to be observed in schools, and classrooms must be ventilated after every hour.

Translated by: Radu Matei