From the over 1,000 churches monitored on March 22, in 375 of them services were held inside, in breach of authorities’ recommendation to hold them outside so as to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. “The churches that didn’t comply showed lack of responsibility,” Prime Minister Ion Chicu stated after the March 23 meeting of the Single Command Center, IPN reports.

“I note with regret that the workers of the given churches do not show respect and understanding, first of all to our doctors who struggle and repair the mistakes of the whole society,” said Premier Chicu. He called on the population to show respect to the doctors who work to the limit in the attempt to cope with the pandemic.

Ion Chicu also referred to the cooperation with the local authorities. “There are attempts to put whole localities in quarantine. I discussed with the local authorities of each of these. There is a special procedure for taking the decision to isolate the communities. The doctors should first make such a decision,” he stated.

The official also said that new purchases of medicines should be made given the rise in the number of hospitalized patients. All the patients, either they have health insurance or not, are provided with all they need by the health system.