Romania - decisions and measures in the context of COVID-19
On 17 June 2020, the Romanian authorities extended the state of alert for another 30 days.
The National Institute of Public Health publishes every week a ”Green zone” and ”Yellow zone” list, more details here (in Romanian language). All persons coming to Romania from countries that are not in the ”Green zone” according to the list, are subject to quarantine/ isolation for a period of 14 days. Starting with 23 June the following countries are in ”Green zone”: Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Croatia, Switzerland, Estonia, Finland, France (the European territory), Germany (exception Kreis Gutersloh which is Yellow zone), Greece, Ireland, Island, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary.
Exceptions to this measure:
- drivers of goods vehicles heavier than 2.4 tonnes and who do not have symptoms associated with coronavirus (COVID-19)
- drivers of passenger transport with more than 9 seats, including the driver's seat, and who do not have symptoms associated with coronavirus (COVID-19).
- drivers traveling in the interest of pursuing their profession from their country of residence in another EU Member State or from an EU Member State to their country of residence, regardless of whether the journey is made by individual means (cars) or in own account;
- cross-border workers entering Romania from Hungary, Bulgaria, Serbia, Ukraine or the Republic of Moldova
All border crossing points are open to trucks, except Oancea (border point with Republic of Moldova) and Naidas (border point with Serbia), in the following link is the current situation at the border crossing points according to Romanian Border Police:
https://www.politiadefrontiera.ro/en/traficonline/?vt=2
Transit corridors are still in force, the truck must leave Romania in 48 hours.
On 15.05.2020, the Government of Romania announced the end of the state of emergency and the beginning of a 30-day state of alert.
Institute for Public Health: The ”red zone” list has been updated on 03.04.2020: According to the National Institute of Public Health (INPS), the ”red zone” and ”the yellow zone” list entered in force since 03.04.2020, at 00h00. The list contains 12 countries from ”red zone”: Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Iran, the UK, the Netherlands, USA and Turkey. Romanian citizens returning from these states (red zone) will enter into institutionalized quarantine for 14 days. The ”yellow zone” includes the rest of the countries, and all Romanian citizens returning from these countries will enter in self isolation at their homes for 14 days.
On 16 April 2020, the National Company for Road Infrastructure Administration (CNAIR) extended the measures of lifting the driving restrictions imposed on vehicles with maximum authorized weight over 7.5 tonnes on DN1 (E60) between Ploiesti and Brasov until 14.05.2020 (during the state of emergency).
The driving restrictions is still in force on DN1 between Bucharest and Ploiesti.
Also, the driving restrictions imposed on vehicles with maximum authorized weight over 7.5 tonnes are lifted until 14.05.2020 (during the state of emergency), on A2 highway (Bucharest - Constanta), DN7 (Pitesti - Vestem), and DN39 (Agigea - Mangalia) in the day before the public holidays and the day of public holidays (30 April, and 1 May).
On 16 April, the Ministry of Internal Affairs issued a new Military Ordinance in which the measures regarding the ban on exporting some agricultural food products, ceased to apply.
On April 14, the Romanian President issued the decree regarding the 30-day extension of the state of emergency in the territory of Romania, starting April 15, 2020. The text of the decree can be read here (Romanian only).
On April 9, 2020, the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs issued Military Ordinance No.8, which details new measures as follows:
· The following State Border Crossing Points will remain totally or partially closed during the entire period of the state of emergency:
At the Romanian-Hungarian Border:
1. Turnu, Arad County (except for the movement of cross-border workers);
2. Salonta, Bihor County – railway and road (except for the movement of cross-border workers by road);
3. Sãcuieni, Bihor County (except for the movement of cross-border workers);
4. Valea lui Mihai, Bihor County - railway and road (except for railway freight traffic);
5. Carei, Satu Mare County.
Note: A cross border-worker is understood as a person who makes proof of living and working within an maximum area of 30 km from the Romanian-Hungarian state border, calculated from the nearest border-crossing point open for people, and who returns home at least once a week. The Romanian-Hungarian border-crossing points open for cross-border workers when entering Romania are the following: Cenad, Nãdlac, Turnu, Vãrșand, Salonta, Borș, Sãcuieni, Urziceni, Petea.
At the Romanian-Bulgarian Border:
1. Negru Vodã, Constanța County;
2. Lipnița, Constanța County;
3. Dobromir, Constanța County;
4. Zimnicea, Teleorman County;
5. Turnu Mãgurele, Teleorman County;
6. Bechet, Dolj County (except for railway freight traffic).
At the Romanian-Ukrainian Border:
1. Sighetu Marmației, Maramureș County;
2. Isaccea, Tulcea County.
At the Romanian-Moldovan Border:
1. Rãdãuți-Prut, Botoșani County;
2. Oancea, Galați County.
At the Romania-Serbian Border:
1. Porțile de Fier II, Mehedinți County;
2. Drobeta-Turnu Severin, Mehedinți (except for railway freight traffic);
3. Orșova, Mehedinți County;
4. Moldova Nouã, Caraș-Severin County;
5. Naidãș, Caraș-Severin County;
6. Vãlcani, Timil County;
7. Stamora-Moravița, Timiș County- railway (except for railway freight traffic);
8. Lunga, Timiș County;
9. Foeni, Timiș County;
10. Jimbolia, Timiș County - railway (except for railway freight traffic).
05.04.2020 Form for truck drivers in transit, must be filled in upon entry into Romania, details here
05.04.2020 TRANSIT CORRIDORS - FOR ROAD TRANSPORTATION, details here
04.04.2020 - The Ministry of Internal Affairs in Romania issued the Military Ordinance no. 7. New measures for road transport of persons and goods are as following:
Article 11. - The international road transport of persons through regular services, special regular services and occasional services in international traffic for all the routes performed by the transport operators to Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Swiss Confederation, United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, the Netherlands and Turkey and from these countries to Romania is suspended throughout the state of emergency.
Article. 12. - Upon entering Romania, the drivers of the freight vehicles with a maximum authorized capacity bigger than 2,4 tons that do not have symptoms associated with COVID -19 shall complete a declaration on their own responsibility whose model is established by the Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure and Communication where they assume the location where they can be contacted during the period between two transports. They do not undergo isolation at home measure/quarantine provided that the employer ensures the protective materials against COVID-19.
Article. 13. - The provision of article 12 shall apply accordingly to drivers of freight vehicles with a maximum authorized capacity greater than 2.4 tons which are moving in the interest of their profession from Romania to another European Union Member State or from another EU Member State to Romania, as the state of residence of the driver, regardless of whether the trip is on board of the freight vehicle or by individual means or on its own. Upon entrance to Romania they must present an employee certificate assumed by the employer.
Article. 14 - (1) The drivers of freight vehicles with a maximum authorized capacity bigger than 2.4 tons which transit the Romanian territory are not required to complete the epidemiological statement, upon entry into Romania, if they meet the following minimum conditions:
a) They only use transit corridors and border crossing points at the ends of these corridors approved by the Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure and Communication and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, deviation from these being forbidden.
b) The transit of the Romanian territory shall be done in a minimum time frame without exceeding 48 hours from entering Romania including periods of stationary for the provided daily rest.
c) Parking of the vehicle is done exclusively in parking lots located on the properly marked transit corridors.
(2) In case of non -compliance with the conditions provided in paragraph 1, the driver of the vehicle will be obliged to enter quarantine for 14 days, bearing the expenses incurred with his quarantine.
(3) Upon entering Romania the driver is required to apply on the glazed parts of the vehicle (windshield) a special sticker made available by the State Inspectorate for Control of Road Transport, respectively to keep the transit form whose model is established by the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communications.
On March 29, 2020, The Ministry of Internal Affairs in Romania announced new measures which will enter in force starting March 31,2020, as following:
1) When entering the country, for the protection of their families, drivers of freight vehicles with maximum permitted weight of more than 2.4 tones have the option to choose for quarantine/isolation, but not more than 14 days, in the period between journeys, for one of the following ways of protecting against the spread of COVID-19:
a) quarantine in spaces provided by the employer;
b) the isolation at home together with all the persons with whom they live, or alone, in another available living space;
c) quarantine upon request, in the spaces made available by the public administration authorities, with the support of the expenses related to the quarantine.
The option for one of the methods provided in par. (1) materializes by filling in, by the drivers of freight vehicles with maximum permitted weight of more than 2.4 tones, a declaration on their own responsibility by which it assumes one of the 3 quarantine/isolation alternatives.
(3) The provisions of para. (1) and (2) shall also apply to aircraft pilots and ship crews.
On March 26, 2020, upon the request from UNTRR, the General Directorate of Emergency Medical Management confirmed that drivers of the commercial vehicles with more than 2.4 t max authorised weight will not go to self isolation or quarantine if they do not have sympthoms. These drivers have to be equiped with masks, gloves, and to have disinfectant at the board of the vehicle, more details here in Romanian language.
On March 24, 2020, Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs announced new measures as following:
- isolation at home or, as the case may be, quarantine for all persons entering Romania. The measure enters in force from March 25, 2020, at 12:00 (Romanian time).
- all flights to France and Germany and from France and Germany to Romania are suspended for a period of 14 days. The measure does not apply to flights made by state aircraft, freight and mail, humanitarian or emergency medical services, as well as non-commercial technical authorizations. This measure enters in force from March 25, 2020, at 23.00 (Romanian time).
- Documents that expire during the period of emergency, issued by the public authorities, may be exchanged within 90 days from the date of cessation of the state of emergency.
Passage transit corridors in Romania
Upon the EC encouragement, Romania established the following transit corridors:
Corridor 1
▪️Alternative 1 - Nădlac (border crossing point) –Arad – Timișoara - Lugoj- Ilia – Deva – Simeria – Sebeș -Sibiu- Râmnicu Vâlcea – Pitești – Bucharest – Giurgiu (border crossing point);
▪️Alternative 2 - Borș (border crossing point) – Oradea – Cluj Napoca – Alba Iulia - Sebeș -Sibiu- Râmnicu Vâlcea – Pitești – Bucharest – Giurgiu (border crossing point)
▪️Additional corridor from Bucharest to Constanța A2
Corridor 2
▪️Giurgiu(border crossing point) – București – Urziceni – Buzãu – Focșani – Bacãu – Suceava - Siret (border crossing point)
Corridor 3
▪️Nădlac (border crossing point) - Arad – Timișoara - Lugoj – Caransebeș – Orșova- Drobeta Turnu Severin – Șimian – Maglavit- Calafat (border crossing point).
Corridor 4
▪️Moravița (border crossing point) – Timișoara – Arad – Oradea- Satu Mare – Halmeu (border crossing point).
Corridor 5
▪️Nãdlac (border crossing point)- Arad – Timișoara – Lugoj – Ilia – Deva – Simeria – Sebeș – Sibiu – Brașov – Târgu Secuiesc – Lepșa – Focșani – Tesila – Tecuci – Bârlad – Huși – Albița (border crossing point).
▪️Corridor 5 starts from border crossing point NADLAC.
On March 22, 2020, Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs announced new measures as following:
1) Retail activities, products and services are temporarily suspended in the shopping centers where several economic operators operate, except for the sale of food, veterinary or pharmaceutical products and cleaning services.
2) Recommendations entering in force on March 22, 2020, at 22.00 (Romanian time) for the movement of people between 06.00 – 22.00:
- the movement of persons outside the home/household should be carried out only for the following reasons:
a) travel in professional interest, including moving between home/household and the workplace, when the professional activity is essential and cannot be postponed or performed remotely;
b) travel for the provision of goods that cover the basic needs of the persons and their pets, as well as goods necessary for the professional activity;
c) travel for healthcare that cannot be postponed or performed remotely;
d) displacement for justified reasons, such as caring/accompanying the child, the assistance of elderly, sick or disabled persons or death of a family member;
e) short trips, near the home/household, related to the individual physical activity of the people and the needs of their pets.
3) Between 22.00 – 06.00 the movement of persons outside the home/household is allowed only by presenting, at the request of the authorized authorities, a certificate issued by the employer or a declaration on their own responsibility. The declaration on its own responsibility must include name and surname, date of birth, address of place of residence/household/place of work, reason for travel. The measure shall be applied from March 23, 2020, at 22:00 (Romanian time).
4) Foreign citizens are forbidden to enter Romania's territory unless they transit Romania through transit corridors organized through agreements with the neighboring states. By exception, the entry of foreign citizens belonging to the following categories is allowed on the territory of Romania:
a) are family members of Romanian citizens;
b) are family members of citizens of other EU Member States, of the European Economic Area, or of the Swiss Confederation, residing in Romania;
c) citizens who hold a long-stay visa, a residence permit or a document equivalent to the residence permit issued by the Romanian authorities, or an equivalent document issued by the authorities of other states, according to the law of the European Union;
d) are traveling in professional interest, evidenced by visa, residence permit, or other equivalent documents;
e) are from diplomatic or consular personnel, personnel of international organizations, military personnel or personnel who can provide humanitarian aid;
f) are passengers in transit, including those repatriated as a result of granting consular protection;
g) are passengers traveling on imperative grounds (medical or family);
h) are persons who need international protection or for other humanitarian reasons.
Exceptions:
- National transport of goods and passengers
- International road freight transport
- Drivers of goods vehicles over 2.4t who arrive from or have passed through "red areas" or "yellow areas" are not subject to quarantine or isolation measures if at the border crossing point they do not show symptoms associated with coronavirus infection SARS-CoV-2. All persons entering Romania will have to fill in a form. Templates of these forms are available in Romanian and English here.
- Drivers of goods vehicles over 2.4t have the obligation, at the border crossing point, to have on them and to wear individual means of protection, such as disinfectant, gloves, face mask and to present documents attesting the route of travel to the destination.
The following border crossing points have been closed:
- Border crossing points with Hungary: Turnu, Săcuieni, Salonta and Valea lui Mihai
- Border crossing point with Ukraine: Sighet
- Border crossing points with Bulgaria: Negru Vodă, Lipniţa, Dobromir, Zimnicea, Turnu Măgurele and Bechet
- Border crossing points with Moldova: Rădăuţi, Prut and Oancea
On Thursday, March 12, 2020, the Serbian authorities unilaterally closed the following border crossing points with Romania: Porţile de Fier 2, Moldova Nouă, Foieni, Lunga, Vâlcani, Drobeta Turnu Severin and Naidăş.
Due to the volume of traffic, the waiting times at borders will be significantly longer. The updated border waiting times can be found here
Derogations of the regulations on driving and rest times:
The Romanian authorities has introduced a temporary relaxation of the enforcement of driving and rest times for drivers performing domestic/international road transport of goods. This exception applies from 18.03.2020 to 16.04.2020. Measures lifted are the following:
- Art. 6(1): replacement of the maximum daily driving limit of 9 hours with one of 11 hours;
- Art. 7: replacement of the minimum daily breaks requirements by imposing a break of 45 minutes after 5 and a half hours
- Art. 8(1): Reduction of the daily rest requirements from 11 to 9 hours;
- Art. 8(6): postponement of a weekly rest period beyond six-24 hours period.
The President of Romanian declared on Monday, March 16, 2020, a 30 day state of emergency to limit the spread of COVID-19. Additional measures have been taken such:
- Activities in restaurants, hotels, cafes and pubs are suspended.
- All flights to Spain and from Spain to Romania are suspended on all Romania’s airports for a period of 14 days. The decision takes effect on 18.03.2020, 20.00 h Romanian time.
- The decision of suspending flights to Italy and from Italy to Romania is extended for a period of 14 days starting with March 23, 2020.
- Road transport of passengers by regular services, special regular services and occasional services in international traffic for all the journeys performed by the transport operators to/from Italy from/to Romania starting from 10.03.2020 at 12h00 until 31.03. 2020 at 12h00 (Romanian time) are suspended.
