The budgetary deficit of Romania will hit almost 5 percent should this coronavirus pandemic crisis last one or two months, but should it last more it is already hard to tell where we could get, Economy Minister Virgil Popescu told private TV broadcaster Digi24 on Monday night.

"At the Ministry of Economy I have no data as regards what will happen within three months (...) What I can tell you is that from my estimates, from the talks with the Public Finance Minister should this crisis last one or two months, we could see a budgetary deficit around 5 percent. If it lasts more, it is hard already to estimate where it will place us. Not even 5 percent is a strong figure, yet it is a possible one. But, in two months, in three, four months the budgetary deficit will get very high," Popescu elaborated.

In reference to the observance by the population of the rules enforced by the authorities in order to halt the infection with the novel coronavirus, the Economy minister believes that the people "are not aware where we are and where we stand".

"We are in the middle of an obvious crisis and it is a sanitary crisis. It is an epidemic and it will induce an economic crisis too, and for us to get over it sooner, we must protect and we must observe absolutely everything the authorities are urging us to do. Or, a restriction of movement by day, a restriction of movement by night are put in place exactly to protect us and they must be observed by absolutely everybody," Popescu added.

Furthermore, when asked if the people behave like this because they lack discipline, he answered that they don't realise the huge peril yet.AGERPRES(RO - author: Oana Tilica, editor: Nicoleta Gherasi; EN - author: Maria Voican, editor: Simona Iacob)