COVID-19 reached the Republic of Moldova in March 2020. The first case of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus was confirmed on March 7 in a 48-year-old woman, who returned from Italy. The National Extraordinary Public Health Commission issued an orange alert at the national level. From that moment on, upon returning to the country, all persons were obliged to self-isolate at home for 14 days and fill out epidemiological forms.
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic. On March 17, following an increase in the number of cases of infection, a state of emergency was declared in the Republic of Moldova.
The educational process was moved online, and any type of mass demonstration was prohibited. All the commercial units in the country, except pharmacies, grocery stores and gas stations, ceased their operations. All markets were closed. Air traffic was completely stopped, and the access of foreign citizens through land border crossing points was restricted, with some exceptions.
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The activity of public catering units was stopped. Canteens, cafes, restaurants closed their doors to customers. The pandemic did not bypass the church either. The holding of services in churches was restricted.
In mid-May, after the expiry of the state of emergency, a state of public health emergency was declared in the Republic of Moldova. Leisure facilities remained closed, but dental offices and hairdressers reopened.
The first fines for non-compliance with the quarantine regime were imposed. At national level, wearing masks in public transport, in commercial spaces, in closed public spaces became mandatory.
Several hundred new cases of COVID-19 were reported daily. The victims killed by the virus were mainly elderly people and those with comorbidities.
Also in May, hospitality industry representatives and traders working in the capital’s markets, dissatisfied with the restrictive measures, mounted protests. The authorities decided to relax some of the epidemiological measures. Gradually, shopping centers also reopened, but without cinemas, restaurants, cafes and playgrounds.
The operation of flights at the Chisinau International Airport resumed on June 15, 2020.
Towards the end of summer, a series of types of activities were permitted. From September 1, students returned to classes with physical presence.
The year 2020 ended with almost 145,000 cases of infection and about 3,000 deaths. Throughout this period, the state of emergency in public health was extended for several times.
In a year of the outbreak of the pandemic, the students returned to online studies.
Also in March 2021, vaccination against the new coronavirus began. Medical workers were immunized the first, followed by the population.
Authorities repeatedly stated that the COVID-19 pandemic was more than a health crisis. It affected the entire country, impacting all aspects of social and economic life.
On May 5, 2023, the World Health Organization declared an end to COVID-19 as a public health emergency. According to the WHO, from the beginning of the pandemic until May 2023, the cumulative number of cases worldwide exceeded 765 million, with almost 7 million deaths. In the Republic of Moldova, more than 620,000 cases of illness and 12,100 cases of death were reported during the COVID-19 pandemic.