The business entities that speculatively increase the prices risk being penalized, President Igor Dodon stated after the March 18 meeting of the Single Command Center for managing the crisis caused by COVID-19, IPN reports.

“There are no preconditions for raising prices at present because we have internal reserves and do not face problems related to food security. As to imports, there were blockages on the borders with Slovenia, Hungary and Romania for several days, but the problems were solved following the involvement of the Government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We keep in touch with all the carriers and the supermarket chains thus do not have reasons to increase prices,” said President Dodon.

He noted that they are considering the possibility of capping the prices of bare essentials. The authorities are preparing a set of measures to support the real sector of the economy and the citizens who stay temporarily at home.

It is also analyzed the possibility of instituting penalties for the dissemination of fake news. “There is no other solution as panic is worse than the pandemic in the current situation,” stated Igor Dodon.

 Parliament declared a state of emergency in Moldova for 60 days until May 15 in connection with the epidemiological situation generated by COVID-19. As many as 372 persons have been tested for COVID-19 so far and 36 persons were diagnosed with the virus. An infected woman died, while another woman was cured.