The activity of companies that ignore the rules imposed by the authorities will be suspended for 15 or 30 days

After early February 2021 it was proposed that companies that ignore the rules set by the authorities, in the context of the coronavirus epidemic, be penalized with suspension, a bill was adopted by the Senate as the first Chamber. The document will now go to the Chamber of Deputies, which is the forum for decision making on the matter, for debate and adoption. The authorities will be able to decide to suspend the activity of companies that fail to comply with the rules for 15 or 30 days (in addition to the current fine), and those who ignore the measure will also risk penal penalties.

At present, these companies can only be fined between 1.000 and 10.000 lei when they ignore the rules set by the authorities, as stipulated by Law 55/2020. The bill discussed by the government at first reading will also include in Law 55/2020 the penalty for suspending activity by 15 or 30 days, which will be imposed in addition to the above mentioned fine.

In particular, the additional penalty will be applied separately as follows:

• 15-day suspension for firms operating without complying with the conditions imposed by the authorities: in this case, an entry warning will be displayed stating that the activity is temporarily stopped due to non-compliance with the rules; if the firm reopens earlier than necessary, authorities will affix a seal and breaking the seal will entail criminal consequences;
• suspension of 30 days for firms operating although they should be stopped due to restrictions imposed by the authorities: in this case, the seal will be directly affixed and its breaking will lead to criminal consequences.