National Extraordinary Public Health Commission to submit to government report on need of establishing State of Emergency in Moldova

Chisinau, 16 March /MOLDPRES/ - Prime Minister Ion Chicu today chaired a meeting of the National Extraordinary Public Health Commission, the government’s communication and protocol department has reported.  

The subject of the meeting was the evolution of the epidemiological situation in Moldova and the region, as well as the measures decided on the platform of the National Extraordinary Public Health Commission.  

Interior Minister Pavel Voicu informed about the actions undertaken by the institutions subordinated to the Interior Ministry (MAI), in coordination with the Health, Labour and Social Protection Ministry (MSMPS) and the National Public Health Agency (ANSP), in order to combat the spread of the new COVID-19 virus.   

Starting from 17 March, the international passenger transport will be completely ceased on all air and terrestrial ways. The General Police Inspectorate (IGP) is involved in actions of prompting the enforcement of the decisions of the National Extraordinary Public Health Commission, as well as the ceasing of the commercial activities, except for the ones mentioned in the Commission’s decisions. One of the main tasks of police is to prevent the agglomerations of people in diverse zones, such as food stores and bus terminals. 

Health, Labour and Social Protection Minister Viorica Dumbraveanu informed that six new cases of infection with the new virus had been detected. Two of them are imported and four are of local transmission. There are 29 confirmed cases in all and 20 suspects.    

The participants in the meeting discussed the opportunity to establish the State of Emergency. This is the first case of declaring the State of Emergency in Moldova’s history. Minister Dumbraveanu presented the arguments for declaring the State of Emergency, pointing out especially the pandemic of COVID-19 virus, declared by the World Health Organization and the tendencies of the epidemic regionally and nationally. At a proposal by Minister Dumbraveanu, the National Extraordinary Public Health Commission ruled to submit to the government a report on the need to declare the State of Emergency.