Romanian Health Minister Victor Costache has resigned from his position on Thursday, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban announced during a televised press briefing, adding that Nelu Tataru, a state secretary within the Health Ministry, was his preferred choice to fill the now-vacant position
CHISINAU (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th March, 2020) Romanian Health Minister Victor Costache has resigned from his position on Thursday, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban announced during a televised press briefing, adding that Nelu Tataru, a state secretary within the Health Ministry, was his preferred choice to fill the now-vacant position.
"This morning, Victor Costache resigned as Health Minister due to personal and professional reasons. I will deliver a statement to President Klaus Iohannis so that he can dismiss the minister. I will also offer the post to Secretary of State Nelu Tataru," Orban said in the briefing televised by the Romanian broadcaster Digi24.
The prime minister added that his country would do everything necessary to strengthen the health system during the global pandemic.
According to media reports, Orban asked Costache to resign one day after the latter announced plans to test every single resident in the capital of Bucharest for COVID-19 during an appearance on one of the country's largest broadcasters. The Romania Insider portal stated that this proposal would require testing up to 4 million people, at a time when the country's testing capacity is less than 2,000 per day.
On Tuesday, Iohannis announced strict quarantine measures that permit people to leave their homes only for essential purposes. The country's armed forces have reportedly been mobilized to monitor the situation.
As of Wednesday, the Romanian authorities have confirmed 906 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the outbreak, with 13 deaths.
