Radio România Internațional

Tag: face

  • February 7, 2022 UPDATE

    February 7, 2022 UPDATE

    COVID-19
    Bucharest extended the COVID-19 related state of alert in the country for
    another 30 days, beginning on Monday, February 7. Face covering remains compulsory
    both indoors and outdoors. In places with infection rates below 3 per
    thousand, cinema and theatre
    halls as well as restaurants may operate at 50% of their capacity, with the
    ceiling going down to 30% in places with infection rates above this level. An
    emergency order also extends the deadline for filling in the digital forms for
    entering the country, from 24 to 72 hours. Nearly 17,000 new
    Covid cases were reported in Romania on Monday, along with 81 related
    fatalities. In the capital Bucharest the incidence rate continues to rise,
    reaching 32.75 per thousand on Monday. The vaccination rate is close to 42% in
    urban communities and around 30% in the countryside. Only 8 million adults are
    fully vaccinated so far.


    RESIGNATION The president of USR party in opposition, Dacian Cioloş, Monday
    announced his resignation. The decision came after the party’s National Bureau
    convened on Monday rejected Cioloş’s plans to change the structure and
    operation of the party, with 14 votes against and 11 in favour. Dacian Cioloş, who
    had been elected to office in October, when the right-of-centre USR and PLUS
    parties had merged, warned his colleagues that he would step down unless his
    restructuring plan was implemented. USR vice-president Cătălin Drulă will take
    over as interim party president.


    DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu said there was no danger of
    Romania being drawn into a military conflict with the Russian Federation.
    Romanian citizens need not worry that we will be dragged into a war close to
    our country, he said in an interview on a private television channel. There
    is at the moment a very powerful security umbrella, which provides all possible
    guarantees for the security and stability of Romania and its citizens, and this
    umbrella is the NATO membership, adding to which is the very strong strategic
    partnership with the US, minister Aurescu mentioned. If Russia attacks
    Ukraine, he added, responses will come both from NATO, which will consolidate
    its eastern flank, and from the EU, which will introduce a substantial set of
    economic and individual sanctions targeting the political decision-makers in
    Russia. In turn, the head of the Information and Public Relations Directorate
    with the Defence Ministry, brigadier general Constantin Spînu, said that the crisis in Ukraine is not a security
    situation that directly concerns Romania or any other NATO member state. Romanians and all other nations in the Euro-Atlantic
    space should not feel directly threatened, gen. Spînu said.


    AGRICULTURE Romania’s agriculture minister Adrian Chesnoiu rules out a
    possible food crisis in Romania and a food rationing scenario. He says the
    authorities are looking for solutions to support both citizens and farmers.
    Chesnoiu also says that authorities are considering the options of introducing
    ceilings on food prices or of stabilising and balancing prices.

    WASTE
    The number of border checkpoints where waste can be brought to Romania for
    recycling will be reduced to 15, and all shipments will have to be entered in
    an electronic register as soon as possible, the environment minister Tánczos
    Barna announced on Monday. The authorities want to make sure that waste is not
    misplaced or discarded in unauthorised places. Last year alone, more than 500
    offences related to waste imports were identified, and over 15,000 tonnes of
    mixed waste were prevented from entering the country, the interior minister Lucian
    Bode said in his turn.


    OLYMPICS Natalia Ushkina, Romania’s representative in
    the biathlon contest has ended the competition on the 57th place in the
    individual 15 km race at the winter Olympics in Beijing. In
    the giant slalom event, Maria Ioana Constantin also from Romania, has come out
    45th, while another Romanian, Raluca
    Strămăturaru, is ranking 30th after the first 2 legs of the luge event. At the current
    edition of the winter Olympic Games, Romania is being represented by 21
    athletes. (A.M.P., D.B.)

  • Face masks will be compulsory outdoors again

    Face masks will be compulsory outdoors again


    Romanian authorities are getting ready for the 5th wave of the coronavirus pandemic, which according to some estimates may cause up to one million active infection cases.



    The first measure is to reintroduce compulsory face covering both outdoors and indoors, as the head of the Department for Emergency Situations Raed Arafat announced. The measure concerns surgical masks or FFP2 masks, which provide better protection, and eliminates cloth masks, which are inefficient with the Omicron variant.



    Raed Arafat also announced that other restrictions will be reintroduced, depending on the case frequency. A decision made by the National Committee on Emergency Situations on Wednesday introduces a 30% of capacity ceiling for concerts and cinema halls in places with more than one case per thousand people, and a similar ceiling for restaurants in places with frequency rates above 3 per thousand.



    Arafat added that access will remain conditional on the digital COVID certificate. He warned businesses that they risk having to suspend operations as a large number of their employees will get infected unless protection rules are observed.



    The face covering rule will allow for exceptions, such as for sports activities. Critical infrastructure units may introduce compulsory testing for employees or the obligation to wear FFP2 masks, the same official added, and mentioned the example of the Cernavodă nuclear power plant.



    Healthcare authorities also announced that people with moderate forms of the disease will be able to choose from 160 outpatient centres. The health minister Alexandru Rafila said the goal was to reduce the number of severe forms and of fatalities, and the healthcare system is being organised so as to streamline case referral.



    In turn, the coordinator of the vaccine rollout, Valeriu Gheorghiţă, explained that the Omicrons airborne transmission and shorter incubation times compared to previous variants make immunisation the best form of protection from severe forms. “Vaccination and the administration of the booster dose to eligible citizens remains a priority, because this is the way to reduce the number of patients who will need anti-viral treatment, hospitalisation, intensive care, and the number of fatalities,” Valeriu Gheorghiță said.



    Romania is last but one in the EU in terms of vaccination, with only 41 of the population having received the serum so far, and little over 2 million people having also received the booster. (tr. A.M. Popescu)


  • November 20, 2020 UPDATE

    November 20, 2020 UPDATE

    COVID-19 Romania saw 9,272 new coronavirus cases on Friday, with the total number now passing 400,000. 160 new deaths were also reported, the death toll now standing at 9,765. Around 70% of the COVID-19 patients in Romania have so far recovered. Bucharest has run out of intensive care beds and a number of patients were taken to hospitals in other cities. The capacity of ICUs is set to increase in the forthcoming period, health minister Nelu Tătaru said. Local lockdowns were imposed in places with a spike in cases. President Klaus Iohannis announced that on Monday he would have talks with the health, defence and interior ministers, to clarify all the aspects related to the anti-COVID-19 vaccination campaign, which he sees as a matter of national security. He added that the latest data allows for “moderated optimism, and called for strict observance of the measures introduced by the authorities.



    PANDEMIC Global coronavirus cases passed 57.5 million and fatalities 1.3 million, with over 39 million patients recovered so far, according to Worldometers.info. US president elect Joe Biden said he would not order a national lockdown to fight the pandemic, despite cases soaring in the US over the last few weeks. The country has so far reported over 12 million cases and at least 258,000 deaths. The president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said the Union could approve two Covid vaccines by the end of the year, made by Pfizer and BioNTech and Moderna. South Tyrol, an autonomous province in northern Italy, Friday started a massive screening campaign, with 70% of the population to be tested. In turn, Austria announced mass testing in December and January, to prevent new lockdown periods. The Regional Director for Europe at the World Health Organisation, Hans Kluge, said one person dies every 17 seconds from Covid-19 in Europe, where the general mortality rate rose by almost one-fifth in the last two weeks.



    FACE MASKS Romania has so far issued four safety notifications for non-conforming face masks made in China, the National Consumer Protection Authority said Friday. The products in question are not certified as protective equipment by a relevant body, so it is possible they do not meet the health and safety requirements in place. The notifications were received by the EU rapid alert system for non-food products, also known as RAPEX. The authorities have recommended that such products be withdrawn from the market and have warned sellers to consult the consumer protection and RAPEX websites before marketing them to make sure they are not banned. Recently, the National Consumer Protection Authority withdrew over 31 million protective face masks after checks conducted across the country.



    EU BUDGET EU leaders meeting in video conference format on Thursday night failed to reach a breakthrough in talks on the bloc’s future multiannual budget, following opposition from Hungary, Poland and Slovenia, who don’t agree with the idea of linking funding to the rule of law. The EU leaders also discussed the management of the coronavirus pandemic with a focus on the mutual recognition of the results of Covid tests, the progress made in developing a vaccine and a joint approach to lifting restrictions. Romania was represented by president Klaus Iohannis, who, prior to the meting, had a telephone conversation with German chancellor Angela Merkel. Iohannis said Romania constantly supported the need to finalise the talks on the EU multiannual budget and the economic recovery plan as soon as possible. He also emphasised that the mutual recognition of Covid tests facilitates free movement within the EU and called for an efficient communication campaign with respect to vaccination against the novel coronavirus.



    COOPERATION The EU is looking forward to working with the US president-elect, Joe Biden, on issues like the coronavirus pandemic and climate change, the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen told a press conference on Friday. She also voiced hopes that the G20 summit due this weekend will be “a new beginning for multilateralism. And while the United States has resisted engaging on this topic so far. I’m very hopeful now with the new president elect that this will change, the EU official also said, although the summit will be attended by the outgoing president Donald Trump. Ursula von der Leyen said she would call on the Unions G20 partners to step up economic efforts to provide access to COVID-19 vaccine and treatment for poorer countries as well. The goal is to purchase 2 billion vaccine doses for countries with below-average revenues, the EU executive said.



    HANDBALL The Romanian women’s handball side CSM Bucharest on Thursday night lost to the Russian side Rostov on Don in a Champions League Group A match. CSM were initially due to play at the weekend against SC BBM Bietigheim from Germany, but the match was postponed after the German side was quarantined. This was the CSM’s final match in 2020, finishing the year second in their group behind Rostov. In Group B, CSM Râmnicu Vâlcea have lost all of their matches so far and will not be playing another match this year. The competition breaks up after this weekend for the European Championships held in Denmark and will be resumed in January. (translated by: A.M. Popescu)

  • New state of alert extension

    New state of alert extension


    The COVID-19 pandemic has brought challenges to which the entire world is struggling to find solutions, and it is hard to estimate the exact duration of this difficult period which has changed everybodys lives. The virus has impacted the healthcare system, but also the economy, the labour market and interpersonal relations.



    The high spread rate of the coronavirus and its unfortunate consequences prompted the Government of Romania to extend the state of alert by another 30 days as of Thursday, to help contain and mitigate the effects of the pandemic. The state of alert, which has already been extended 4 times so far, was introduced in mid-May, after a 2-month state of emergency starting on March 16.



    The Government order passed on Wednesday stipulates that face masks must be worn outdoors as well, 50 metres from schools and in crowded areas wherever there are up to 3 cases per thousand capita, whereas in places with over 3 cases per thousand inhabitants, outdoor face covering is compulsory.



    Bucharest authorities have also announced the conditions in which restaurants and performance venues may operate. Here is state secretary with the Interior Ministry, Raed Arafat:



    Raed Arafat: “In cases of up to 1.5 infections per thousand capita, restaurants, cafes, cinema halls and the like will run at 50% of the overall capacity. Between 1.5 and 3 cases per thousand, they may operate at 30% of their capacity, and for rates of over 3 infections per thousand capita, sadly these venues will be closed down.



    The ban on private events with large numbers of participants remains in place, Raed Arafat added, while for the upcoming election campaign indoor events with maximum 20 participants and outdoor events with maximum 50 participants are allowed. Raed Arafat also added that care centre personnel must be tested on a weekly basis by the relevant Public Health Directorate.



    Meanwhile, citizens coming into Romania for up to 3 days must produce a negative COVID-19 test, and in case they intend to stay for longer periods they must self-isolate for 14 days. The list of high-risk countries includes the US, Spain, France, Netherlands, the UK and Belgium.



    In recent days new negative records are reported in Romania, where daily infection numbers of over 4,000 have been reported already. Hundreds of patients are in intensive care, and scores of Romanians lose the battle against the virus every day. (translated by: A.M. Popescu)

  • October 6, 2020

    October 6, 2020

    COVID-19 On Tuesday in Romania record-high figures were reported both in terms of the number of deaths (73) and patients taken in intensive care in the last 24 hours (608). 2, 121 new infection cases were also reported, taking the total number of confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic to nearly 140,000. Some 110,000 of them have recovered. Romanian authorities announce new restrictions in localities with more that 1.5 cases per thousand capita in the past 14 days. The National Committee for Emergency Situations last night requested county committees to look at the local situation and introduce additional containment measures, such as banning private events or closing restaurants. Restrictions will also be introduced for travelers coming from countries with more coronavirus cases than Romania.



    INDUSTRY The Romanian airspace company Romaero received from the American firm Raytheon a first order for components for Patriot anti-missile systems, more specifically for parts that will be included in the construction of the Patriot radar. After this first order has been completed, the Romanian company will have a chance to receive subsequent orders from all the 17 countries that own Patriot systems. Romaero is the second Romanian company to receive orders for parts and pieces, after Aerostar Bacău in 2019.



    DEFENCE Romanias Supreme Defence Council is holding an online meeting today, chaired by president Klaus Iohannis, to look at defence and national security issues. The agenda includes topics like such as a strategic defence analysis, the White Paper on Defence, the implementation plan for the national defence strategy 2020 – 2024. The last meeting of the Council was held in late May. PM Ludovic Orban, deputy chairman of the Council, requested a COVID-19 test on Monday, after he was recently on a TV set with a person who tested positive for the virus. The Government subsequently announced that the test was negative, but that the PM will stay in quarantine until Thursday, working without physical contact with any other individuals. Ludovic Orban will be tested again on Thursday.



    EUROSTAT Romania has imported face masks worth 272 million euros in the first half of 2020, according to data made public by Eurostat today. In the first 6 months of the year compared to 2019, the EUs face masks imports rose 1,800%, from 800 million euro to 14 billion euro. Data per capita point to substantial differences between member states. Luxembourg, which distributes face masks under a governmental policy, has imported by far the largest number of such products per capital in the EU (121 euro per capita). Next come Belgium, Germany and France, the only countries with imports above 50 euro per capita. At the opposite pole, imports were under 10 euro per capita in Cyprus, Poland, Sweden, Croatia, Greece and Bulgaria. Romania is ranked in the lower half of the list, with face masks imports amounting to 14 euro per inhabitant.



    NOBEL Scientists Roger Penrose (UK),
    Reinhard Genzel (Germany) and Andrea Ghez (USA) were awarded on Tuesday the Nobel
    Prize for physics for their discoveries related to black holes. On Monday, researchers Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 2020, for the discovery of the Hepatitis C virus. The recipients of the Nobel Prize for chemistry, literature and peace will also be announced this week. The winner of the Nobel Prize for Economy will be made public on October 12. With the latter’s exception, the other Nobel Prizes were created by the Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel (1833-1896), the inventor of the dynamite. In 2020, each Nobel Prize will be accompanied by a $1.1 million check, which is more than in previous years. The Nobel Awards organisers have announced that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the prize recipients will most likely receive their awards in their home countries, without having to attend an award ceremony in Stockholm.



    PANDEMIC The total number of COVID-19 cases worldwide is over 35.7 million, with over 1 million deaths, according to worldometers updates. The US president Donald Trump returned to the White House, after receiving treatment for the virus. He urged people, in a video message, not to be scared or overwhelmed by this disease. The US remains the country with the largest number of cases and deaths in the world. Record-high figures are also reported in a growing number of European countries, and additional protection measures are introduced across the continent. The Czech Republic and Slovakia reintroduced a state of emergency on Monday. (translated by: A.M. Popescu)