Immunity — Herd immunity against COVID-19 in Romania is around 50%, through vaccination or the development of antibodies following the disease – the president of the National Committee for Coordination of Vaccination Activities, doctor Valeriu Gheorghiţă said on Tuesday. He added that although the number of infections is on the rise, the situation is stable as compared to other European states. In another development, Valeriu Gheorghiţă specified that the authorities’ aim is to increase the number of vaccinated people, especially among the most vulnerable category, but that, at the moment, anti-Covid vaccination should not be mandatory, because the Romanian society is not prepared for this type of approach. Approximately 5 million Romanians, i.e. a quarter of the total population, have been fully vaccinated. More than 300 new cases of Covid 19 were reported on Tuesday in Romania, after processing more than 34,000 tests, this being the largest daily number reported since the end of May. Four deaths have also been announced. The number of hospitalized patients is also increasing, over 660, of whom about 80 are in intensive care.
Humanitarian action — A Romanian Air Force aircraft transports, on Tuesday, to Egypt, 525,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine, produced by AstraZeneca, for the management of the pandemic in that country. Romania has received a request for international assistance from the Cairo government through the European Civil Protection Mechanism, thus joining European and international efforts to support Egypt. Similar humanitarian aid would be sent to Albania and Vietnam. Already on Monday, the Romanian Air Force transported to Tunisia approximately 180,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine, antigen tests and medical supplies, as well as a 13-strong medical staff team who will provide support to the Tunisian health personnel. In a statement, the Tunisian Embassy in Romania thanked the Romanian state for its action.
Attack – Romania reiterated its strong condemnation of any acts of aggression that represent violations of the principles and norms of international law and voiced its concern over the negative effects of these actions on regional and international security. This view was shared on Monday at an open debate of the UN Security Council held in video-conference format discussing maritime security as an expression of international cooperation. The Romanian foreign ministry said the attack on the Mercer Street oil tanker is a threat to peace and a blatant violation of international law. The European Union also condemned the attack and called for compliance with the principles and norms of international law. The Romanian foreign ministry recalled that Romanias and Britains permanent representatives at the UN together with Liberias permanent representative (under whose flag the ship was sailing) signed a joint letter to the president of the UN Security Council and the UN Secretary General on the subject of the attack on the Mercer Street tanker, in which a Romanian was also killed. The US presented information that the drone that hit the vessel was an Iranian-made kamikaze drone.
Climate — The Romanian president Klaus Iohannis promised to get actively involved in the processes aimed at solving the climate crisis following the stark warning issued by a major UN report on the accelerated pace of climate change caused by human action. The report notes that global warming may exceed by 1.5 degrees Celsius the levels recorded at the end of the 19th century by around 2030, ten years earlier than previously estimated. UN experts speak of a genuine red code for humanity and unprecedented disasters, including more heat waves and floods. In response to the UN report, the European Commission said it is not too late to stop this trend provided the countries of the world act immediately and do so together. The US said the world cannot delay ambitious climate action, and the UK said the transition to renewable energy must be made fast, an idea supported by France. Greenpeace insists that it is now up to the worlds governments to take measures and commit to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
Police — The Romanian Police on Tuesday launched a road safety campaign entitled “View from the hospital”, in order to reduce the accidents caused as a result of drivers’ failure to observe speed limits on national highways and roads. The policemen presented what is meant by aggressive driving and explained that the dangerous maneuvers for drivers will be defined in the new proposals for the modification of the Traffic Code. The Interior Ministry has proposed, among other things, to double the sanctions for wrong-way driving on highways, i.e. withholding driving licenses for 120 days, as compared to 60 days at present, and license suspension for 60 days for driving in the emergency lane on highways instead of fines, as the rule goes at present. In Romania, excessive speed is the main cause of traffic accidents in the summer season. Statistics show that in summer, many drivers go on holiday with their families and try to reach their destination as soon as possible.
Senate — The Romanian Senate’s Permanent Bureau on Tuesday summoned a plenary extraordinary session to inform about the adoption by the government, on August 5, during the parliamentary break, of the Emergency Ordinance repealing provisions regarding the disconnection of customers that do not pay their natural gas and thermal energy bills. So far, during the state of alert, conveyance and distribution operators have ensured the continuity of service provision for all subscribers who have not paid their bills. According to the authorities, the number of final customers – domestic and non-domestic – who had not paid their electricity and natural gas bills recorded in the period for which disconnections were postponed, was, at the end of May, over 200 thousand, the amount of outstanding debts standing at almost 250 million lei (about 50 million Euros). (LS)
