Radio România Internațional

Tag: lockdown restrictions

  • April 12, 2021 UPDATE

    April 12, 2021 UPDATE

    COVID-19 IN
    ROMANIA – In Romania, almost 3.7 million doses of vaccine have been
    administered so far. 1.4 million people have received both jabs. Authorities
    have announced that 171 new vaccination centers will be opened this week. The
    president of the National Committee for the coordination of activities
    regarding the vaccination against SARS-CoV-2, doctor Valeriu Gheorghiţă, has
    given assurances that, starting this week, approximately 80,000 people will be
    immunized daily. In turn, Prime Minister Florin Cîţu has stated that the recent
    evolution of the pandemic, with a slight improvement in terms of new infections
    reported, but with an accelerated increase in the number of serious cases,
    requires finding solutions to reach the target of 1,600 places in intensive
    care. For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, there are over
    1,500 infected people in serious condition, and the Intensive Care Units are
    full. Romania has exceeded one million infections with the new coronavirus and
    25 thousand deaths. In the last 24 hours, over 2,300 cases of infection and 113
    deaths were reported.




    COVID-19 IN
    THE WORLD – The United Kingdom has lifted many of the restrictions imposed
    because of the coronavirus pandemic, after months of lockdown. Prime Minister
    Boris Johnson described the moment as an important step towards normalcy, but
    urged the population to behave responsibly. In Italy, several regions are no
    longer in the high-risk category. As regards France, the vaccination campaign
    has been accelerated, as the country struggles to control the third wave of the
    COVID-19 pandemic. Germany has exceeded the threshold of three million cases of
    COVID-19, and calls to tighten restrictions are growing. The number of COVID-19
    infections is also increasing in Spain, where several regions have exceeded the
    extreme risk threshold. One of the most affected regions is that of the capital
    Madrid. In other news, the American company Johnson & Johnson on Monday
    made its first vaccine deliveries to EU member states. The serum is the fourth
    to be greenlit by the European Medicines Agency, after Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna
    and AstraZeneca. Johnson & Johnson is already being administered in the
    United States and South Africa and has been certified for population use in
    Canada.




    SCHOOL -
    As of Monday, Romanian 8th and 12th graders return to
    classes in 100% online format, until April 29, when the Easter holiday starts.
    The current school year has changed due to the negative evolution of the
    pandemic this spring, so the holiday has been extended for preschoolers and
    pupils, except for those who will take the national exams. As of next autumn, semesters
    might be replaced by quarters, and the next school year could be extended to
    recover what has been lost by teaching online in the past year, but only if the
    education unions, pupils and parents agree. The relevant minister, Sorin
    Cîmpeanu, says that all the solutions that will result from these consultations
    will be considered.




    MOTION -
    The Social-Democratic Party in opposition has announced the filing of a simple
    motion against Health Minister Vlad Voiculescu, the second in the current
    legislature. The Social-Democrats claim Voiculescu is not the right man for
    managing the health crisis, is causing confusion, does not observe mandatory
    regulations and is arguing with everyone. Vociulescu was appointed on behalf
    of the USR-PLUS Alliance, and his position was examined on Monday by the
    center-right ruling coalition, who decided to continue to support Voiculescu.
    Relations between the Health Minister and Liberal Prime Minister Florin Citu
    were strained after the forced evacuation of an orthopedics emergency hospital
    in Bucharest which now receives COVID patients. Vlad Voiculescu pointed out
    that the hospital is not currently in the subordination of the Health Ministry
    and that he could not overrule the hospital manager’s decision.




    NATO -
    The Cyber ​​Defense Command of the Romanian Ministry of Defense participates,
    between April 13-16, in the international cyber defense exercise Locked Shields
    2021. Teams from allied and partner states made up of military and civilian
    professionals take part in the exercise that takes place in online format,
    planned and organized by the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Centre of
    Excellence in Tallinn, Estonia. The aim of the exercise is to improve the
    training of cyber security specialists and act in large interdepartmental and
    multidisciplinary teams in order to protect information technology networks and
    national critical infrastructures against multiple and multidirectional cyber-attacks
    in real time. Locked Shields 2021 takes place in a real-world scenario, using
    state-of-the-art specific technologies and simulating massive cyber incidents,
    including strategic decision-making, legal and public communication.




    CENSUS -
    A trial census was carried out in February and March in Romania, in preparation
    for the Population and Housing Census, initially scheduled for 2021, but
    postponed for next year. According to the National Institute of Statistics, the
    trial census, in which 50,000 households from all over the country
    participated, was aimed at testing the data collection capacity, the
    functioning of the technical solution for self-census, as well as the
    organization of the workflow in the review process. The novel elements include
    the possibility for each person to self-review by simply accessing a link, the
    elimination of paper questionnaires and the use by reviewers of tablets
    provided by the Special Telecommunications Service. Starting 2021, the
    Population and Housing Census will be carried out in all EU Member States in
    accordance with the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council.




    EARNINGS
    – The average net salary in Romania decreased to 3,365 lei (about 680 Euros) in
    February, 0.9% lower than in January – according to data from the National
    Institute of Statistics published on Monday. In February, in most activities in
    the economic sector, the level of average net earnings decreased as a result of
    the granting in the previous months of occasional bonuses (quarterly and annual
    bonuses, for special performances or the 13th salary), rights in kind and
    benefits, net profits and amounts from other funds. The highest values ​​of
    average net salary were recorded in IT services, and the lowest in hotels and
    restaurants. According to the NIS, compared to February 2020, the average net
    salary increased by 5.1%.in February 2021. (M.I. & V.P.)

  • The state of alert in Romania, to be extended

    The state of alert in Romania, to be extended

    After consulting with Prime Minister
    Ludovic Orban and several of his ministers, the President on Tuesday announced
    a further easing of lockdown restrictions. Starting June 15, shopping malls
    will reopen while any interior restaurants, cafes and playgrounds will remain
    closed. Gyms and outdoor pools will also open their gates, with the strict
    observance of special health regulations and physical distancing standards.
    Private events have also received the greenlight, but the guest list will total
    20 people for interior seating and 50 people outside. Moreover, to help working
    parents during the summer holidays, after-schools and private nurseries will
    also resume their activity. President Klaus Iohannis believes caution is still
    advised. The state of alert, the president argues, should be extended, as we are
    not yet seeing any significant drop in the number of new infections. Parliament
    will have the final say in this matter, which is why the President has called
    on MPs to agree to this move.


    I call on Members of Parliament to be
    reasonable and realize this virus cannot be eradicated with a simple vote in
    Parliament. If you support the Government, we can effectively combat the spread
    of the epidemic, as we have already proved we can. You’ve probably examined a
    recent study of a prestigious London-based institute, which confirms that, in
    the absence of precautionary measures, especially in Europe, millions would
    have died. The fact that we introduced these measures early in Romania helped
    us contain the spread of the contagion as best as we could.


    The President’s announcement was met with
    criticism by the opposition. The Social-Democrats say they will not vote an
    extension of the state of alert. Social-Democrat spokesman Lucian Romascanu:


    The President’s proposal is unacceptable,
    at least with respect to the reasons he invoked, which aren’t backed by any
    scientific or epidemiological evidence.


    The Pro Romania Party announced its MPs
    wouldn’t vote either, while the Save Romania Union wants more hard evidence
    regarding the epidemiological context before making a decision. The latter
    claims the state of alert is best suited for those towns and villages where the
    risk of infection still exists.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • Authorities to keep certain restrictions in place

    Authorities to keep certain restrictions in place

    The head of the Department for Emergency Situations in Bucharest Raed Arafat
    pointed out that we can’t speak of a total ease in lockdown restrictions, as we
    are not seeing a constant drop in the number of new infections. Arafat told the
    public TV station that several counties in Romania continue to be considered
    hotbeds of infection.


    Anyone claiming
    the pandemic is behind us and things are ok is clearly misinformed. Right now
    the situation is under control, better than it was before, but we’ve not yet
    reached the point of zero contagion. We still have hotbeds in several counties,
    whether it’s homes for the elderly, industrial areas or medical units we’re
    talking about. And the number of cases is still fluctuating.


    A medical doctor,
    Arafat claims the ease in lockdown restrictions starting June 1 will have to be
    analyzed in terms of its effect. Any decision will be based on this analysis of
    the evolution of COVID-19. The Romanian official says extending the state of
    alert would be normal at this point, providing the authorities with the
    possibility of coordinating and taking the necessary measures. Raed Arafat
    added that, even in the event of a complete lifting of restrictions, he still
    wouldn’t go to the cinema or theatre, as the risk is still there. We’ve all
    achieved some good here, it would be a shame to stumble at the threshold. June
    15 will not entail a return to life as it was before the pandemic, Raed Arafat
    concluded. Lockdown restrictions have been less harsh in Romania, but they were
    introduced sooner, Arafat says. Romanians should focus on internal tourism,
    which has suffered a lot and needs support. Fortunately, we have many mountain
    and seacoast destinations, the official continued. And indeed, in the Pentecost
    miniholiday, thousands of tourists took resorts on Prahova Valley and on the
    Romanian Black Seacoast by storm, after a hiatus of several months. Over 15.000
    Romanians visited seacoast resorts, despite lower estimates from travel agents.
    According to an online agency, the reality exceeded expectations for the nearly
    100 hotels on the seacoast that opened their doors to tourists. The number of
    guests was however four times lower compared to the same period last year.
    Thousands of tourists also headed to resorts on Prahova Valley, where they
    could ski on a special slope, go trekking or mountain biking. Cable transport
    facilities were operational, and the good weather outside brought thousands of
    people out of their homes for outings.


    (Translated by V.
    Palcu)



  • June 7, 2020 UPDATE

    June 7, 2020 UPDATE

    COVID-19 IN
    ROMANIA – Over 20.500 COVID-19 infections have been confirmed in Romania, over 14.600
    people have officially recovered and the latest death toll has climbed to
    1.326. According to the Group for Strategic Communication, some 3.304 Romanians
    living abroad have tested positive for the virus and 114 have died. Most of
    these cases are reported in Italy, while most deaths were reported in the UK,
    over 40, considering the total number of infections in the UK is below 100. In
    another move, Health Minister Nelu Tataru said a potential second wave of the
    pandemic will be less deadly than the first. It is the Romanian Health
    Minister’s belief that life will return to quasi-normal parameters by late July
    – early August, should the population continue observing precautionary
    regulations.




    REPATRIATIONS – The Foreign Ministry says some 365
    Romanian citizens have been repatriated from Great Britain, the Netherlands and
    Jordan, via three special flights operated by the national passenger airliner
    TAROM. Most of them are students, navigation crew, medical staff and people who
    couldn’t extend their stay abroad for various reasons. Previously, 346 Romanian
    nationals were returned to Romania from France, Italy and Belgium on June 5.
    The action was part of a wider series of efforts to repatriate Romanians who
    have been affected abroad by COVID-19 measures and flight restrictions.




    COVID-19 IN THE
    WORLD – Some 7 million people all over the world have been infected with SARS
    CoV2 while over 400 thousand people have died to the virus, Reuters reports.
    Some 3.5 million people have recovered. Brazil, one of the countries gravely
    affected by the virus, decided to eliminate all data regarding the evolution of
    COVID-19 in this country from the official website that has been monitoring the
    outbreak. President Jair Bolsonaro explained the figures do not reflect
    reality. Brazil has the second-largest number of infections, some 667 thousand,
    and has reported over 36 thousand deaths.




    TAROM – The national
    airline company TAROM will reintroduce return flights to London starting
    Monday. In a Facebook post, the company writes that only Romanian nationals
    will be able to board in flights to Bucharest, while flights headed to London
    will receive British citizens only. Also starting Monday travellers arriving in
    the UK will undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine.






    TOURISM – Employers in
    the hospitality industry are calling on the Government to lift all restrictions
    and reopen restaurants and cafes to interior service. In an open letter, employers
    say the absence of this measure would make them incur 30% losses, tantamount to
    some €6 billion. The second phase of easing lockdown restrictions would boost
    partner sector, such as produce providers, soft drinks distributors, meat and
    milk processors, bakeries and other types of providers, which together account
    for 5% of Romania’s GDP.




    REPO LINE – The European Central Bank and
    the National Bank of Romania have agreed to set up a new repo line to address
    possible euro liquidity needs in the presence of market dysfunctions due to the
    COVID-19 shock. Under the new repo line, the National Bank will be able to borrow up to
    €4.5 billion from the ECB in exchange for high-quality euro-denominated
    collateral.




    PENTECOST – Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Christians around the world, including
    Romania, on Sunday celebrated the Pentecost, marking the descent of the Holy
    Spirit upon the Apostles of Jesus Christ, 50 days after Easter, as well as the
    foundation of the early Christian Church. According to the New Testament, the
    12 apostles received the Holy Spirit, which allowed them to speak languages
    never before spoken. Peter’s sermon led to the baptism of three thousand souls.
    Orthodox believers received sanctified walnut leaves, symbolizing the flames of
    the Holy Spirit resting on the heads of the Apostles. Thousands of tourists
    enjoyed the Pentecost miniholiday in mountain or seacoast resorts or in the
    Danube Delta, which according to travel agencies was 80% booked.






    (Translated by V.
    Palcu)