Thousands of people demonstrated in the main squares of the Romanian capital on Saturday against new coronavirus restrictions announced by the government this week to fight a steep rise in infections.
Demonstrators attend a rally against new restrictions imposed by the government after a surge in coronavirus disease cases, in Bucharest, Romania October 2, 2021.
The number of new COVID-19 infections reached a record high of 12,590 on Saturday and authorities said intensive care units were running out of space. Romania has the second lowest vaccination rate in the European Union, just ahead of Bulgaria. Weekend curfews have been introduced for unvaccinated and the government plans to make inoculations mandatory for healthcare sector's workers, doctors and nurses.The government has also made face masks mandatory in all public spaces in places where the case incidence exceeds 6.0 per thousand people. Bucharest reached a record of 8.28 per thousand new infections over the past two weeks, among the country's steepest rates.
Among the protest organisers was an ultranationalist parliamentary grouping that is hoping, together with other opposition parties, to topple the centrist government on Oct. 5, when a parliamentary vote of no-confidence is scheduled.Just over a third of Romania's adult population is fully vaccinated so far, amid widespread distrust in state institutions and misinformation campaigns.
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