LAWFUL REQUIREMENTS VS. UNCERTAINTIES IN PANDEMIC TIMES: NEW CHALLENGES FOR OLD PEOPLE.

Hit by the Covid-19 virus Romania imposed self-isolation to the elderly population, for longer periods of time, aiming to protect them as well as to prevent and reduce the spreading of this acute respiratory syndrome known as SARS-Cov-2. Trapped between a constant worry of the unknown and the necessity to acquire the household essentials the elder population was faced with a dilemma in identifying the boundaries between influence, coercion and limitation of civil rights. We have analysed the way old people have succeeded to tackle the crisis, the coping methods used to surpass the hardships and the techniques employed to withstand the everyday routine in pandemic times. The qualitative study of the present paper focuses on the responses of the old people to these new circumstances. The strategies adopted by our state when dealing with the third age group should be specifically targeted in order to improve and alleviate the reactions to future disastrous occurrences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]