The mayor of Dubna village of Soroca district Valeriu Pruteanu, who was diagnosed with COVID-19, succumbed to the disease. He was hospitalized in May and died on July 10 after developing complications, IPN reports.

Colleagues from the Congress of Local Authorities of Moldova (CALM) said that Valeriu Pruteanu had been under intensive care for a long period of time as the infection affected all his body. As a result of complications determined by the novel coronavirus, he underwent surgery, but lost the battle with the disease. On July 7, Valeriu Pruteanu turned 68.

He had served as a mayor for over 16 years. Since last autumn’s elections, he managed to light half of the streets in the village and launched the works on the local water pipeline. “He was one of the rural intellectuals with wisdom that is rarely met today. He was optimistic and with the sense of justice and was anytime ready to give a piece of advice or to encourage his friends. His wife, three children, four grandchildren and all those who knew him are now grieving,” says the obituary of the CALM.

Contacted by IPN for details, Nadejda Darie, coordinator of the CALM professional network of mayor’s office functionaries, said Valeriu Pruteanu was an intellectual and a very sociable and kindhearted man. “I’ve known him from his first term in office, since 1999, when he took up his duties. He surprised us by his way of being, by his poems, anecdotes sand songs. Every time I phoned him, he always started the discussion with a poem. It’s a pity that we lost such a colleague,” stated Nadejda Darie.

The mayor’s body will be taken to Dubna on July 13 and will be buried on July 14.

Moldova has so far got almost 19,000 cases of COVID-19. As many as 635 infected persons succumbed to the disease. Currently, 373 patients are in a serious state.