Despite the efforts made to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of those infected has increased constantly during the last four weeks. The Association for Participatory Democracy (ADEPT), which monitors the work of the public institutions involved in the management of the state of emergency and the crisis caused by the novel coronavirus in Moldova, said the measures to fight the pandemic should be optimized, especially because the resources are limited, IPN reports.
The first confirmed case of infection, in a person who returned from Italy, was reported on March 7. Since then, the number of cases of import – infected persons who returned from abroad – increased until the middle of April. Later, the imported cases have declined in number. Fifteen persons who returned from abroad tested positive for COVID-19 in May and one imported case was reported during the first ten days of June. As many as 155 of those who returned home from abroad so far were confirmed with the virus. This is about 1.5% of the number of cases confirmed in Moldova.
As to the local transmission cases, the first two such cases were reported on March 14 and the number of those infected increased considerably, especially after the state of emergency was lifted on May 15 and a number of imposed restrictions were relaxed. By June 12, there were reported 10,572 confirmed local transmission cases. Judging by the official statistics for May and June, infection as a result of imported and local transmission cases is of about 16 vs. 7,000.
ADEPT noted the ratio of imported cases to local transmission cases is suggestive as regards the concentration of efforts for combating the pandemic. Since March 9, the persons who enter the Republic of Moldova have mandatorily filled out an epidemiological form. They sign an own responsibility statement by which they pledge to self-isolate in definite places for a period of 14 days. Particular exceptions for a number of categories of people took effect on May 25. The weekly report presented by the Border Police shows 175,151 individual epidemiological forms were completed during March 17 – June 12, 2020.
The over 175,000 persons have been supervised by family doctors and police officers to see how they observed the self-isolation regime. Under the amendments adopted by Parliament to the Penal Code and the Contravention Code on March 12, 2020, the non-observance of the epidemic disease prophylactic, preventive and combating measures, if this endangers public health, is punished with a fine of 22,500-25,000 lei in the case of private individuals and of 50,000 to 75,000 lei in the case of legal entities. The Ombudsman’s Office said these fines do not match the principles of individualization of punishment and proportionality of the penalty to the fine and does not take into account the vulnerability of the penalized persons (persons with disabilities, elderly people, persons without a livelihood, with low incomes) and proposed reducing the minimum fine for individuals.
According to ADEPT experts, the size of the fine involves a high corruptibility risk, especially in relation to persons who returned from abroad and must self-isolate for 14 days and are under police supervision. In such conditions, the Association recommends the National Extraordinary Commission for Public Health to examine the opportunity of introducing a risk area (red/green zone) depending on the epidemiological situation in the countries from which Moldovan citizens return, which implies differentiated measures to prevent the spread of infection.
The Commission is also recommended to consider the necessity of reviewing or annulling the 14-day self-isolation period for persons who returned from abroad, offering “a green corridor” to Moldovans who returned from countries where COVID-19 no longer poses a threat.
Parliament is recommended to review the amendments to the Contravention Code and reduce the minimum fine for private individuals for non-observance of the epidemic disease prophylactic, preventive and combating measures.
