COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN ROMANIA FROM AN ETHICAL PERSPECTIVE 151-166

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic was first reported in December 2019 in China. Within three and a half months, the novel SARS-Cov-2 virus disease had appeared in Romania as well, thus marking March 11, 2020 as the beginning of the pandemic in the country. Subsequently, strict restrictions were implemented in an effort to prevent and contain the spread of the virus. Over time, new measures have been introduced, including ones targeting the medical and educational systems, as well as everyday life. These included the suspension of physical activities in schools, the closure of all non-essential businesses, the prohibition of private and public events, and the granting of specific freedoms through the green certificate (vaccinated individuals with full dose, those who have a negative PCR or antigen test from the last 48/72 hours, and those who have gone through the disease between 14 and 180 days after diagnosis). The population's criticism of these measures has generated two camps: those who support the existence of the virus, the vaccination process, and the need for action, and those who oppose them. In this article, I will examine these measures from an ethical perspective.