Abstract:
The lockdown period in Romania lasted for 60 days and had the purpose of limiting
the spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus outbreak and manage its consequences through
emergency measures on many important areas of activity. This study aimed to gather,
assess, analyze and disseminate relevant social, economic, and medical aspects on the
impact of COVID-19 pandemic during lockdown on the veterinary profession in Romania.
A survey was created using an online questionnaire platform, and disseminated. The
survey was completed by a total of 409 individuals. A high number of respondents
(71.64%; n = 293) felt exposed to medium or high risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2
at their workplace and many (56.97%; n = 233) felt that their professional environment
was more stressful than usual during lockdown. Almost all respondents (89.73%; n =
367) declared the implementation of several controlmeasures recommended by FECAVA
and FVE (e.g., social distancing, wearing protective equipment, hand washing), but few
mentioned the opportunity of remote work or visiting restrictions. Overall, the results
show that the impact of lockdown lies directly on four main categories of importance
on veterinarian professional’s life—human resource, activity management, relationship
between veterinarian and authorities, and continuing education.
