COVID-19 95 new infections with SARS-CoV-2 have been reported in the last 24 hours out of 31,200 tests performed, the Strategic Communication Group reports. 3 related casualties have also been reported. 14 cases of infection were confirmed in the capital Bucharest, 7 in the county of Cluj and 6 in the counties of Iasi and Timis. 244 patients are hospitalised, 36 of them in intensive care. Authorities foresee a slightly growing number of infections in the forthcoming period. As regards the anti-Covid vaccination, more than 13,000 people got immunized in the past 24 hours, more than 65% of them with the first dose. 4,800 people opted for the Johnson&Johnson single-dose vaccine. 4.7 million Romanians have been fully vaccinated so far. In the capital city Bucharest, 47% of eligible residents over 12 years of age have received the vaccine. Romania will continue, both independently and at EU level, to donate or re-sell some vaccine doses. This week a new donation to the Republic of Moldova is scheduled, after batches sent previously to Serbia, Argentina and Vietnam.
AIR FORCE DAY The Romanian Aviation and Air Force Day was marked, as every year, on 20 July, when St. Elijah, the protector of pilots, is celebrated. The Romanian Air Forces are a modern category of armed forces, with structures undergoing a process of consolidation of their operational capacity, President Klaus Iohannis said in a message on this occasion. The Air Forces have a major role in consolidating the countrys defence capability, being able to carry out complex missions of defending Romanias air space, to conduct long-distance air transport missions and rescue-evacuation missions at national and local level and to participate in. NATO missions, Iohannis also said. He emphasised that 20 July is also dedicated to civil aviation workers, who carry out difficult missions in the context of the coronavirus pandemic and who contribute to Romanias economic development and the progress of air sports. The Romanian Minister of Defence, Nicolae Ciuca, and the Chief of the Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Daniel Petrescu, participated in the military ceremony organised at the Air Heroes Monument in downtown Bucharest. During the ceremony, wreaths were laid in memory of the aviation heroes. The 74th PATRIOT Regiment, the tactical combat unit established on December 1, 2018, whose mission is to render operational the PATRIOT surface-to-air missile system, were handed the Battle Flag.
JUSTICE Perceptions on the independence of the Romanian judicial system improved compared to previous years, but the shortage of human resources remains a concern, reads the European Commissions annual report on the rule of law in the Union, made public on Tuesday in Brussels. On the other hand, the document says the perception among experts and company executives is that corruption remains high in the public sector. According to the report, the endorsement of a new national anti-corruption strategy for 2021-2025 is a priority for the government, and the efficiency of investigations and penalties for medium and high-level corruption has improved. As regards media pluralism and freedom, the absence of specific guarantees for editorial independence and editorial standards continues to cause concern, while transparency regarding the stakeholders in media institutions is still incomplete.
THEATRE The best stage shows in Romania in 2020 were awarded on Monday evening, at the UNITER Awards Gala. The show “Heart and other meat dishes, by Dan Coman, directed by Radu Afrim and produced by the Marin Sorescu National Theatre in Craiova was designated best play of the previous year. Carmen Lidia Vidu won the award for best direction, for Romanian Journal. 1989, produced by the I.L. Caragiale National Theatre in Bucharest. Razvan Vicoveanu, with the Regina Maria Theatre in Oradea, won the award for best lead actor, for the part of Ivan Alexandrovici Hlestakov. Emoke Cato was awarded for best actress. Actor Marcel Iures, stage designer Geta Medinschi, actress Ileana Ploscaru and theatre critic Ion Parhon received lifetime achievement awards.
ROBOTICS Romanias team won the first place at the International Robotics Championship held in Chicago, the US, on July 16 and 17. In the final, the team made up of students from 13 of the best Romanian high schools defeated some of the best American teams and set a new world record in terms of points won. This is the first time after 1989 when a team from outside the US wins the first place at this competition.
PANDEMIC Europe is the first region to reach 50 million confirmed coronavirus infection cases since the start of the pandemic. The substantially more contagious Delta variant is now the most widespread on the continent, generating a record-high increase in the number of daily new cases, with European countries reporting a combined one million new cases every 8 days. Nearly 1.3 million Europeans died of COVID-related complications. A spokesman for the French government announced the country is seeing the 4th wave of the epidemic, and a plan is being implementing to reduce new pressure on hospitals. The plan introduces a health permit required for access in cinemas and restaurants, and compulsory vaccination for healthcare staff. Israel announced the opening of borders to foreign tourists, originally scheduled for 1 August, will be postponed. At present foreigners are only allowed in the country based on a special permission from the authorities. (tr. A.M. Popescu)
