Health Alert – U.S. Embassy Chisinau, Moldova (April 3, 2020)

Health Alert – U.S. Embassy Chisinau, Moldova (April 3, 2020)

Location: Republic of Moldova

Event: No commercial flight options currently exist to depart Moldova. Furthermore, while Romania continues to offer limited commercial flight options, the Romanian land border is closed to entry to all foreigners. There are now almost no options for a U.S. citizen to exit Moldova and return to the United States. The U.S. government does not anticipate arranging repatriation flights in
Moldova at this time.

The Moldovan government has announced limited future charter flights to various European locations to repatriate Moldovan citizens. See our announcement for a flight on April 4 to London Stansted Airport. All interested U.S. citizens should consider this opportunity; there is no guarantee of other opportunities to depart Moldova until the State of Emergency is lifted.

The Moldovan Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection announced the first confirmed case of Coronavirus COVID-19 in Chisinau, Moldova on March 7, 2020. As of April 3, Moldova has more than 500 confirmed cases, including cases
of person to person transmission.

Experts predict that Moldova could see more than 2,000 confirmed cases within the next two weeks. If cases continue to increase significantly, it could overwhelm the local healthcare system. There could be more critical cases than local hospitals can support and not enough healthcare resources (beds, ventilators, healthcare providers, etc.) to provide everyone infected with the necessary care. We encourage U.S. citizens to consider seriously your limited travel options and your decision to remain in Moldova or to return to the United States.

On March 16, 2020, the National Public Health Emergency Commission in Moldova issued a State of Emergency. The conditions the State of Emergency have been routinely updated and are available on the Government of Moldova website.

Moldova stopped all flights at the Chisinau Airport from March 17 until May 15, at the earliest. Land borders are closed to international rail service, and Ukraine and Romania have also banned entry to foreign citizens.

The Government of Moldova has implemented measures to limit the spread of COVID-19. Schools and universities are closed until further notice; sporting events, festivals, gatherings of larger than 3 people have been banned. Only grocery stores and pharmacies are open at this time. Anyone older than 63 years of age is banned from leaving their home except for health and family emergencies and to buy groceries. Additional restrictions could be added without notice.

Effective March 16, the U.S. Embassy in Chisinau has suspended routine consular services. For emergency American Citizen Services, including emergency passports, please visit our website for additional information. The Department of State has issued a Global Level 4 Health Advisory advising U.S. citizens to not travel abroad due to the global impact of COVID-19.

In response to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, the U.S. Peace Corps has withdrawn all their staff from Moldova.

On March 14, the Department of State authorized the departure from any diplomatic or consular post in the world of US personnel and family members who have been medically determined to be at higher risk of a poor outcome if exposed to COVID-19.

Actions to Take:

Seek immediate medical care if you believe you may have COVID-19 (or similar symptoms) or were exposed to someone with COVID-19 in the last six weeks. In Moldova, contact your primary care physician or call 112.
Consult the CDC website for the most up-to-date information.
For the most recent information on what you can do to reduce your risk of contracting COVID-19 please see the CDC’s latest recommendations.
Visit the COVID-19 crisis page on travel.state.gov for the latest information.
Visit our Embassy webpage on COVID-19 for information on conditions in Moldova.
Visit the Department of Homeland Security’s website on the latest travel restrictions to the United States.