In recent days, in an effort to encourage people to get vaccinated against the Coronavirus, a makeshift vaccination site has been set up at Bran Castle (also known as Dracula Castle or Vampire Castle) in central Romania to vaccinate visitors to the castle free of charge.
Bran Castle, built in the 14th century, is a popular tourist attraction in Romania and is considered the “old nest” of the vampire Count Dracula because of its similarity to the details described by Irish writer Stok in the novel Dracula, Reuters reported on Monday.
The number of visitors to Bran Castle has fallen since the outbreak of Coronavirus, and authorities hope to boost local tourism by setting up vaccination sites.
The initiative is also part of the Romanian Government’s campaign to promote vaccination. Reuters reported that the Romanian government wants the country to reach 10m in September, but a survey released in April by Globesec, a European think-tank, found that nearly half of Romanians did not want to get the new vaccine.
Agence France-Presse reported that the Romanian government has begun to set up vaccination centers in various places, so that as many people as possible to vaccinate. “These (vaccination) centres are for people who want to get vaccinated but don’t want to make an appointment online,” Beatrice Mahler, director of Marius Nasta Hospital, told AFP.
On any weekend in May, visitors to the site can be vaccinated without a reservation and free access to the castle’s 52 medieval torture kits, bran said. Meanwhile, AFP reported that vaccinated visitors will receive a certificate from the castle in recognition of their “courage and sense of responsibility.”
One unnamed tourist told Reuters that he had long planned to visit the castle and that it was a good time to visit and get vaccinated.
As of May 9, 2021, Romania has reported about 1.06 million new confirmed cases and nearly 29,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University in the United States.
