Radio România Internațional

Tag: 3rd dose

  • October 3, 2021 UPDATE

    October 3, 2021 UPDATE

    Covid – In Romania, the government has approved a decision under which people vaccinated against COVID and those who have recovered from the disease in the last six months are exempted from several restrictions that apply in localities where the incidence rate threshold exceeds 6 cases per thousand inhabitants. Bucharest and over 40 other cities across Romania, as well as more than 200 communes are in this situation. Public and private events can take place in these localities only with a low participation rate, access being allowed only to vaccinated people or people who have recovered from the disease, who will have to wear protective masks. These two categories are also allowed to go to restaurants or gyms, as well as to travel during the weekend or night quarantine. The new regulations were a source of dissatisfaction for thousands of people who took to the streets on Saturday without keeping the physical distance, without wearing protective masks and without respecting the limit of participation in such demonstrations. The protesters marched through the center of the capital, protested in front of the Government headquarters and, later, some of them went to the Presidential Palace. They chanted messages against vaccination and the introduction of the green certificate and also demanded the resignation of the government, of the head of the Committee for Emergency Situations, Raed Arafat, and of president Iohannis. The protests took place on the day with the highest number of Covid cases reported in Romania – almost 12,600. Over 8,700 new cases were reported on Sunday and 150 Covid-associated deaths. 1,440 people are in ICUs. The high number of contaminations boosted the vaccination campaign. On Sunday more than 30 thousand doses were administered of which half accounted for the 3rd dose.




    Rome — In Italy, more than 12 million eligible voters are called to the polls on Sunday and Monday in about 1,200 localities, including major cities such as Rome, Milan, Turin, Naples, Bologna and Trieste, where partial local elections are being held. There is also a vote for a new governor in Calabria. More than 120 Romanians, the highest number reported so far, are running for the positions of councilor in these local elections. Romanians, who make up the largest community of foreigners in Italy, have the right to vote and be elected councilors in their cities of residence. They also rely on the votes of Italians, especially since very few Romanians will be able to vote, as they do not have a voter ID card.



    Table tennis – The Romanian womens table tennis team was defeated, on Sunday, by Germany’s team, 1-3, in the final of the European Championship held in Cluj Napoca. The Romanians have won the continental title twice. In 2017, in Luxembourg, when Romania won the final with Germany, score 3-2. And in 2019, in Nantes (France), when the Romanian athletes defeated Portugal 3-0 in the final.



    Plane crash – Two Romanian citizens are among the people who died in the crash, on Sunday, of a small plane near Milan, the Romanian Foreign Ministry reports. According to the information provided by the Italian authorities to the representatives of the Romanian consular office in Milan, the investigations carried out so far, show that two Romanian citizens, with dual citizenship are among the deceased. The General Consulate of Romania in Milan is in permanent dialogue with the local authorities, being prepared to provide consular assistance, according to legal competences, including on specific procedures, facilitating the repatriation of dead bodies and issuing death certificates respectively. According to Italian police, all 8 people on board, including a child, have died. The pilot of the plane had dual citizenship, Romanian and German, according to Radio Romania. The plane was flying to Sardinia Island, from Linate Airport, Milan. The Romanian Air Traffic Services Administration ROMATSA announces that the tragic event will be investigated by the Italian authorities, and Romania will appoint an accredited representative for this investigation.



    Insolvencies – In Romania, over 38,000 companies and self-employed persons went into insolvency in the first 8 months of the year, over 7% more compared to the same period of 2020, show data published on the website of the National Trade Register Office. Most insolvent companies were registered in Bucharest and in the counties of Cluj, Bihor and Timiş, with the counties of Harghita, Covasna and Tulcea being at the opposite pole. The highest number of insolvencies by fields of activity was recorded in wholesale and retail trade, automobile repair shops, and the construction and manufacturing industries. (LS)

  • September 29, 2021

    September 29, 2021

    Covid — Romania reports a record number of contaminations and deaths since the onset of the pandemic, after on Tuesday the authorities announced over 11,000 new SARS-CoV-2 contaminations, out of over 73 thousand tests, the number of tests performed also being a record. The number of deaths has sharply increased, going over 200, and the number of hospitalized COVID patients went beyond 11,400, double the number reported two weeks ago. 1,267 patients were in ICUs on Tuesday, where only 26 beds were still available. The authorities have drawn an alarm signal on the Rovaccinare Facebook page, announcing that Romania ranks 2nd in Europe and 6th in the world in relation to the number of Covid-related deaths in 24 hours. Against the background of an alarming increase in the number of SARS-CoV-2 contaminations on Tuesday, the 3rd vaccine dose started being administered in Romania, with mRNA Covid vaccines alone, irrespective of the type of the first two doses.



    Compensation — The Romanian Government is going to establish, today, the mechanism to compensate for the rise in energy bill prices, experienced everywhere in Europe. Natural gas tariffs have almost tripled in recent months, and the government wants to support families with average income and average consumption and SMEs. 13 million Romanians should be the beneficiaries of an emergency decree, which will complete the Law on the Vulnerable Consumer. High on the agenda of the government meeting are other laws among which increasing the health ministry’s budget with 460 million lei, the equivalent of almost 100 million Euros, in order to face the 4th pandemic wave.



    Protest — Tens of trucks, brought by 3 road transport employers associations, are parked in front of the Government building in Bucharest, as part of a protest against the government’s policy. The protesters are dissatisfied with the taxation of freight drivers’ daily allowance, the prices of compulsory car insurance and the quarantine measures for drivers. These would have a significant negative impact on the competitiveness of Romanian carriers within the EU, already severely affected by the new provisions of European legislation brought by the Mobility Package 1. Protesters also claim that Romania is the only European state to tax the per diem, while other ex-communist Eastern European countries such as Poland, Lithuania and Hungary protect their carriers. According to the protesters, the effects of this measure are devastating, especially since taxation is retroactive, as companies will find it impossible to pay penalties.



    Exhibition — The Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, is, today and tomorrow, on an official visit to Spain. His visit takes place in the context of the anniversary, in 2021, of 140 years of bilateral diplomatic relations. The visit schedule includes political consultations with his Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albares Bueno, and the launch, together with him, of the bilingual anniversary album dedicated to the anniversary of 140 years of Romanian-Spanish diplomatic relations. The two officials will discuss ways to develop and deepen the bilateral relationship, which in 2013 moved to the level of Strategic Partnership, as well as current European, regional, international and security issues. On Thursday, Bogdan Aurescu will inaugurate the exhibition Archaeological Treasures from Romania. Dacian and Roman roots at the National Archeology Museum in Madrid. The exhibition brings together 835 exceptional exhibits from the collections of 39 museums from Romania and will close in late January 2022.



    Chisinau– The President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, begins today a two-day visit to the Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population), where he wants to assert his support for the reforms initiated by his counterpart, Maia Sandu. According to the German presidential administration, Steinmeier is accompanied by a delegation of businessmen and they are going to open an economic forum with President Sandu. Maia Sandu, who became president of Moldova after the November 2020 presidential election, is pleading for closer ties between Moldova and the European Union. She wants to fight corruption and stop mass emigration, which has caused serious problems for Moldovas economy. She took over the presidency from the pro-Russian socialist Igor Dodon. (LS)

  • September 28, 2021 UPDATE

    September 28, 2021 UPDATE

    Covid — On Tuesday over 11,000 new Covid-19 cases were reported in Romania, which is an absolute record since the beginning of the pandemic, out of over 73,000 tests, which is also a record. Most cases are in Bucharest, almost 2,000, and the contamination rate in the capital has exceeded 5.5 cases per thousand inhabitants. Over 660 localities have over 3 Covid-19 cases per thousand inhabitants, accumulated in 14 days. On Tuesday, the authorities announced that 1,267 seriously ill patients are being treated in intensive care, including 17 minors. 208 Covid- associated deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours. On the other hand, the 3rd dose of Covid vaccine started being administered in Romania on Tuesday, as the country is in the grips of the 4th pandemic wave, when the number of infections and hospitalized people is skyrocketing. Over 20 thousand Romanians got vaccinated with the 3rd dose on the first day of the campaign, the authorities showed. Over 22 thousand have been vaccinated in the past 24 hours with the 1st or 2nd dose. The coordinator of the vaccination campaign, Valeriu Gheorghiţă, said on Tuesday that the COVID vaccine coverage in Romania stands at about 33%, and in Bucharest at 51.1%.



    Resignation – The Liberal Adrian Oros resigned the position of minister of agriculture and rural development, saying that “for prime minister Florin Cîţu, agriculture and the food industry were never priorities”. He says the ministry’s budget for this year is 60% that of last year, which has a negative impact on ongoing projects, and that no major project in agriculture was included in the National Plan for Recovery and Resilience. Adrian Oros was the only minister in the Cîţu cabinet to support Ludovic Orban as leader of the National Liberal Party. Cîţu won the leadership of the party for the next four years. At the beginning of September, the Save Romania Union USR – PLUS Alliance withdrew from the ruling coalition with the Liberals and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania following a disagreement over a regional development fund and filed a no-confidence motion in Parliament, refusing to return to government with Cîţu as prime minister.



    Motion — The censure motion submitted to Parliament by the Social Democratic Party (in opposition) on Tuesday will be read on Thursday, in a plenary session, and will be debated and voted next Tuesday, the joint Permanent Bureaus of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate have decided. As for the censure motion initiated by USR PLUS, former no. 2 in the government coalition, and the ultranationalist Alliance for the Union of Romanians – AUR, the joint Permanent Bureaus did not set a timetable. They decided to wait for the motivation of the Constitutional Court’s decision regarding the notification submitted by the Liberal prime minister Florin Cîţu related to the existence of a constitutional conflict between the Government and Parliament. On Tuesday, the Constitutional Court admitted the notification of the prime minister in relation to this censure motion, but claims that the motion can be debated and voted. The motion was registered on September 3 and read in the Parliament’s plenary session on September 9. The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania – UDMR, which remained in the governing coalition alongside the National Liberal Party – PNL, has called for urgently restoring the governing coalition to overcome the political crisis.



    Certificate – The European Covid certificate may become mandatory for Romanian healthcare staff working in the public and private sectors, under a new bill proposed by the health ministry. The certificate serves as proof that a person is fully vaccinated against Covid, has tested negative for the virus or has recovered from the infection in the last six months. Medical staff who does not meet any of the three conditions face suspension for a month and even termination of the labor contract later on. The bill also stipulates that the staff will have to pay for the Covid tests. Employers will only cover testing costs for persons who are advised against getting the vaccine for health reasons.



    Ash cloud – The ash cloud released into the atmosphere after the eruption of the volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma in the Canary Islands reached the territory of Romania. The particles containing sulfur dioxide and other chemicals have been pushed by the wind through the west of Romania, spreading across the country. The particles will start disappearing as of Wednesday. Romanian experts are monitoring the air quality and have given assurances that there are no reasons for concern at the moment. Meanwhile, on the island in the Atlantic Ocean, the population of the non-evacuated areas was advised to stay in their homes and not to open the windows. The volcano released lava into the atmosphere again, accompanied by toxic gases.



    Visit – The Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population), Natalia Gavriliţa, met on Tuesday, during her official visit to Brussels, with Adina Valean, European Commissioner for Transport, and Kadri Simson, European Commissioner for Energy. According to a press release from the Moldovan government, the talks focused on the importance of transport as a connection element between the EU and the Republic of Moldova, but also as a potential for economic development for the Moldovan businesspeople, on the role of the Union in developing the energy sector in the Republic of Moldova, on possibilities of completing the projects started with the neighboring countries and which can be an alternative to the gas and electricity supply of the Republic of Moldova. (LS)