Radio România Internațional

Tag: restrictions

February 10, 2022

Covid-19–Ro — 26,466 new cases of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 have been registered in Romania in 24 hours along with 139 deaths, the authorities informed on Thursday. The highest number of infected people since the beginning of the pandemic – 40,018 – was registered on February 1. On the other hand, the National Public Health Institute in Romania reports that, in the week January 31 – February 6, 51.4% of the confirmed COVID-19 cases were registered in unvaccinated persons. Of the vaccinated people, 43% got contaminated either immediately after immunization or more than six months after the last dose. More than three-quarters (78.2%) of the deaths reported were in unvaccinated people. Since the onset of the pandemic, 86% of all deaths have been in people over 60, and 54.6% of deaths in the male population. According to the National Public Health Institute 93.3% of the deceased had at least one associated comorbidity. All in all, since the outbreak of the pandemic, two years ago, over two million Romanians have been contaminated with the novel coronavirus and over 60,000 have died.

Covid–19-world — The state of New York on Thursday lifted the obligation of people wearing sanitary masks indoors, including in shops, restaurants and companies, given that the number of COVID-19 contaminations is declining sharply in the United States. In France, the so-called vaccination permit could be lifted in late March or early April, given the improved health situations, and the Czech Republic is largely relinquishing restrictions. Instead, many Britons have canceled their planned trips to Spain during the school holidays in the UK, because the authorities have asked for the full Covid-19 vaccination of children over 12 years of age. People fully vaccinated entering the UK no longer have to take a COVID test, but other countries maintain some of the restrictions, such as antigen or PCR testing or double vaccination, to avoid testing.

Troops — The first convoy with military equipment, belonging to the American detachment deployed in Romania as part of the US commitment to the allies on NATOs eastern flank, crossed the western border last night and is heading to Mihail Kogalniceanu base in the southeast of the country. In the coming days, part of the one thousand American soldiers who will be deployed in Romania will also enter the country. Earlier, the Romanian defense minister, Vasile Dîncu, had announced that about a hundred specialists had arrived, whose mission was to prepare the deployment of the contingent. Earlier this month, the US decided to send three thousand additional troops on the NATOs eastern flank, one thousand of whom come to Romania and 1,700 to Poland. France has also announced its readiness to send troops to Romania. A NATO member since 2004, Romania already hosts 900 American, 140 Italian and 250 Polish soldiers.

Plagiarism –Romania General Prosecutors Office has opened a criminal case in which it is conducting investigations, in rem, following a complaint alleging that the Liberal PM Nicolae Ciucă plagiarized in his doctoral thesis. Last month, the Carol I National Defense University in Bucharest announced that the procedures for verifying compliance with quality standards and university ethics were initiated in the thesis defended by the current prime minister in 2003. The journalist Emilia Şercan, known as a hunter of plagiarists at the top of Romanian politics and administration, claims that at least 42 pages out of a total of 138 of Nicolae Ciucăs doctoral thesis are plagiarized, and the thesis as a whole is not a product of scientific research. Liberal Nicoale Ciucă is the third PM in Bucharest accused of plagiarizing in his doctoral thesis, after the Social Democrats Victor Ponta and Mihai Tudose.

Olympics – The Beijing Winter Olympics included eight finals in todays program, figure skating (mens singles), snowboarding (womens halfpipe and mens cross snowboarding), alpine skiing (mens combined), cross-country skiing (10 km womens – classic style), freestyle skiing (mixed team jumping), speed skating (womens 5,000m) and sledding (mixed relay). The only Romanian presence will be in the sledge relay event, in which Raluca Strămăturaru (womens singles), Valentin Creţu (mens singles) and Vasile Marian Gîtlan / Darius Lucian Şerban (doubles) are competing. Romania participates with 21 athletes in the 2022 Olympics, in seven sports: sledding, bobsled, alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, ski jumping, biathlon and speed skating. (LS)

10 February 2022
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.)

7 February 2022
A new contamination threshold – 40 thousand cases

On Tuesday Romania exceeded 40,000 new cases of Covid-19 in 24 hours – the highest since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. The figure is more than double the peak figure of the previous autumn wave. Also, the highest number of tests in one single day was made – over 122,000, and one in three results confirmed the infection. The coordinator of the national Covid-19 vaccination campaign, doctor Valeriu Gheorghiţă, considers that, at present, the testing capacity is not comparable to that of other countries.

On a private television station, he said that although the testing capacity for SARS-CoV-2 has increased in Romania, not enough tests are being made yet. According to him, in order to have the real number of infections, six times more tests should be made. On the other hand, about 10,000 people diagnosed with Covid-19 are hospitalized in health facilities across the country, double the number reported two weeks ago. There are about one thousand patients in ICUs. More than three-quarters of them are unvaccinated. And the number of hospitalized children is constantly increasing, hundreds being hospitalized and a few dozen being in ICUs.

The authorities warn that in order to limit the spread of coronavirus, health protection measures alone are not enough, and that testing from the first symptoms of the disease is very important. And since ambulances can hardly cope with the large number of cases, several centers have been opened where symptomatic people can go to be tested, including in the offices of some family doctors. Even if the number of contaminations is growing alarmingly, the number of people who get vaccinated for the first time is far too low, several thousand per day, compared to the authorities expectations.

As to the green certificate, it is still valid in Romania also for the people who have exceeded nine months from the second dose, even if, as of February 1, in the European Union its validity has been limited to this period without the booster dose. However, the head of the Department for Emergency Situations, Raed Arafat, warns that Romania will soon have to adapt to the EU rules, and people who had the second vaccine dose more than nine months ago will have to get vaccinated with the third dose so as to keep the validity of the green certificate.

In the meantime, Romania has given up listing countries according to the Covid-19 incidence rate, and all people entering Romania will be quarantined for five days no matter where they come from, unless they provide a proof of vaccination, of having had the disease or a negative result of a PCR test. The National Committee for Emergency Situations has also established a 5-day quarantine period for people who get in contact with a Covid-19 patient, even if they are vaccinated, because of the most contagious variant of the coronavirus – Omicron. (LS)

2 February 2022
New rules for entering Romania

European
countries are beginning to lift the tight rules that have governed the fight
against the pandemic. Denmark becomes the first European country to eliminate
all domestic restrictions as of Tuesday, after putting a lockdown in place in
December to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant. Danish authorities
cancelled the remaining restrictions, after reaching the conclusion that the
disease caused by the coronavirus is no longer a critical threat.

For
the time being, Bucharest remains prudent and keeps restrictions in place, as
record numbers of infections are still expected. Some changes have been
operated nonetheless, with respect to the quarantine terms for SARS-CoV-2
patients.

The
head of the Department for Emergency Situations, Raed Arafat, announced that
national authorities gave up the colour codes for countries depending on
infection risks. A new, single rule for entering Romanian territory has been
introduced instead, with a 5-day quarantine required for travellers without a
European digital certificate or other corresponding documents. State secretary Raed
Arafat:

This is the new rule. Travellers are either vaccinated, recovered from
the disease or with a negative PCR test not older than 72 hours before entering
the country or before take-off, for those traveling by plane. The quarantine
rules after direct contact also change, with people who had the disease in the last 90 days no longer required to
isolate after direct contact with an infected patient. All other people having
had direct contact with a COVID patient will isolate for 5 days, regardless of
whether they are vaccinated or not.

Mr.
Arafat also said Romania will also introduce the European rule applicable as of
February 1 concerning the vaccination certificate. Specifically, certificates
will be valid for 9 months for the fully vaccinated, with a booster dose
required after this period if the certificate is to remain valid.

The
measure is compulsory for all EU member countries, but it only concerns travel
across the Union. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has
recommended the administration of a booster dose 6 months after the completion of the first
vaccination cycle.

For
the time being, in Romania the digital certificate is accepted upon entering
the country and for access in shops, restaurants and performance venues,
including for people without the booster dose. (A.M.P.)

1 February 2022
New rules for entering Romania

European
countries are beginning to lift the tight rules that have governed the fight
against the pandemic. Denmark becomes the first European country to eliminate
all domestic restrictions as of Tuesday, after putting a lockdown in place in
December to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant. Danish authorities
cancelled the remaining restrictions, after reaching the conclusion that the
disease caused by the coronavirus is no longer a critical threat.

For
the time being, Bucharest remains prudent and keeps restrictions in place, as
record numbers of infections are still expected. Some changes have been
operated nonetheless, with respect to the quarantine terms for SARS-CoV-2
patients.

The
head of the Department for Emergency Situations, Raed Arafat, announced that
national authorities gave up the colour codes for countries depending on
infection risks. A new, single rule for entering Romanian territory has been
introduced instead, with a 5-day quarantine required for travellers without a
European digital certificate or other corresponding documents. State secretary Raed
Arafat:

This is the new rule. Travellers are either vaccinated, recovered from
the disease or with a negative PCR test not older than 72 hours before entering
the country or before take-off, for those traveling by plane. The quarantine
rules after direct contact also change, with people who had the disease in the last 90 days no longer required to
isolate after direct contact with an infected patient. All other people having
had direct contact with a COVID patient will isolate for 5 days, regardless of
whether they are vaccinated or not.

Mr.
Arafat also said Romania will also introduce the European rule applicable as of
February 1 concerning the vaccination certificate. Specifically, certificates
will be valid for 9 months for the fully vaccinated, with a booster dose
required after this period if the certificate is to remain valid.

The
measure is compulsory for all EU member countries, but it only concerns travel
across the Union. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has
recommended the administration of a booster dose 6 months after the completion of the first
vaccination cycle.

For
the time being, in Romania the digital certificate is accepted upon entering
the country and for access in shops, restaurants and performance venues,
including for people without the booster dose. (A.M.P.)

1 February 2022
January 11, 2022

COVID-19 Over 8,800 new SARS-CoV-2 infection cases were reported for the last 24 hours in Romania, double the previous days rate. The Strategic Communication Group also reported 43 related fatalities. 415 patients are in intensive care. The case frequency in the capital city Bucharest is also on the rise, nearing 3 per thousand. Since the start of the vaccine roll-out in late December 2020, nearly 8 million people have got the COVID-19 vaccine. Almost 7.9 million are now fully vaccinated, and more than 2.1 million have also got the booster dose. Facilities are being identified around the country to host the outpatient evaluation centres scheduled to become operational this week. Experts argue that it is important for people to respond to the first signs of infection and to take immediate measures at home.

SASSOLI President Klaus Iohannis Tuesday sent a condolence message for the death of the president of the European Parliament David Sassoli, stating that he was a good friend of Romania and a leader who fought for European values and principles. The Italian Social-Democrat David Sassoli passed away last night in the Italian town of Aviano, where he was hospitalised on December 26 following severe complications related to his immune system. Sassoli, a former journalist, was appointed president of the European Parliament in July 2019. He was at the end of his term, and next Tuesday the EP is due to vote for his successor. It is for the first time in the history of the EP that a president died while in office. First Vice-President Roberta Metsola, a conservative from Malta who was already set to be elected as Sassolis successor next week, will be acting as interim.

TALKS The United States and Russia have agreed to continue the dialogue, which, European media argue, is the only gain of the 8-hour long talks held in Geneva, Switzerland on Monday. The head of the US delegation, deputy secretary of state Wendy Sherman, pushed back on Russias request for guarantees that NATO would not expand further east. “We will not allow anyone to slam closed NATOs “Open Door” policy, which has always been central to the NATO Alliance. And we will not make decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine, about Europe without Europe, or about NATO without NATO,” Sherman said. The US diplomat reiterated at the meeting with her Russian counterpart that invading Ukraine would entail huge costs for Moscow. In turn, Russias deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov once again promised that Russia had no intention to invade Ukraine, but emphasised that the risk of a conflict cannot be understated. The talks in Geneva will be followed this week by Russia-NATO talks in Brussels, and by an OSCE meeting also focusing on Ukraine, in Vienna.

PANDEMIC Italy introduced new restrictions for unvaccinated citizens. Under the new rules, negative COVID tests no longer allow access to public transportation, bars and restaurants. Italy is facing a significant spread of the Omicron variant, and reported over 100,000 new infection cases in 24 hours. According to Radio Romanias correspondent in Rome, PM Mario Draghi said most problems were owing to the unvaccinated. In Israel, new instructions were issued regarding the access to shops and food stores in shopping centres, where all staff and clients must wear face masks. The number of new COVID cases goes up every day, Radio Romanias correspondent in that country reports. The US also announced on Monday 1.35 million new coronavirus infections, Reuters said. India on the other hand had a drop in the number of cases on Tuesday compared to the previous day.

TENNIS The Romanian tennis player Gabriela Ruse Tuesday qualified in the round of 16 of the WTA 500 tournament in Sydney, with over 700,000 USD in prize money, after defeating Polands Magdalena Frech in 3 sets. Ruse will play against 4th seed Anett Kontaveit (Estonia) in the 8th-finals. Another Romanian player, Jaqueline Cristian, is also playing in the same round. Cristian will take on 3rd seed Barbora Krejcikova (Czech Republic), the defending Roland Garros champion. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

11 January 2022
08.01.2022

Covid en Roumanie – Un
peu plus de 6 000 nouveaux cas d’infection au virus SARS – CoV – 2 en 24 heures
ont été ont été rapportés samedi en Roumanie. 26 décès ont également été
rapportés. 400 malades sont en réanimation. Près de 7,9 millions de personnes
ont été vaccinés au schéma complet, soit 40% de la population éligible du pays.
A partir de ce samedi, le port du masque médical est à nouveau obligatoire au niveau national dans tous les
espaces fermés et ouverts, suite à la prolongation de l’état d’alerte pour une
nouvelle période de 30 jours. Les masques textiles et en plastique ne sont plus
permis, mais uniquement les masques chirurgicaux et de type FFP2. A partir
d’aujourd’hui d’autres mesures de gestion de la 5e vague de l’épidémie entrent
en vigueur. Les institutions, les autorités publiques et les opérateurs
économiques doivent assurer à l’entrée dans leurs immeubles un triage
épidémiologique et la désinfection obligatoire des mains. Par ailleurs, la
période de quarantaine a été réduite de 14 à 5 jours pour les personnes
vaccinées ou bien ayant été infectées au cours des derniers six mois, alors que
pour les personnes non-vaccinées, la période quarantaine est de 10 jours. Les
personnes malades observeront une quarantaine de 7 jours. Les voyageurs
non-vaccinés et qui n’ont pas été infectés au cours des derniers 6 mois seront
placés en quarantaine pendant 10 jours, s’ils arrivent depuis des Etats de l’espace
communautaire en zone rouge et de l’espace non-européen. Les seules à ne pas
être placées en quarantaine sont les personnes vaccinées qui arrivent depuis l’extérieur
de l’UE et qui présentent le résultat négatif d’un test de dépistage RT PCR,
effectué dans un délai de 72 heures avant le voyage.

OTAN – Tout Etat, quel que
soit sa taille et sa géographie, a le droit fondamental de décider de son
chemin et des alliances dont il souhaite faire partie, a déclaré l’adjoint du
secrétaire général de l’OTAN, le roumain Mircea Geoana, vendredi soir, à
l’issue de la réunion extraordinaire des ministres des Affaires Etrangères de
l’OTAN. Selon le responsable de l’Alliance, les participants à la réunion ont
évalué les implications pour la sécurité européenne de la mobilisation
« injustifiée et non-provoquée » par les forces de la Fédération de
Russie aux frontières de l’Ukraine. Ils ont appelé la Russie à renoncer à la rhétorique
« agressive » à l’adresse de ses voisins, à retirer ses forces
militaires, à détendre la situation créée et à privilégier la voie du dialogue
et de la paix. « Le Conseil OTAN -
Russie du 12 janvier constituera une opportunité pour la Russie de démontrer
son désir réel pour le dialogue, la diplomatie et le respect des engagements et
des normes internationales. Nous ne ferons aucun compromis face aux principes
fondamentaux de la sécurité et de la sécurité européenne, consenties par le
Traité de Washington » a écrit Mircea Geoana sur Facebook. Une réunion
de la Commission OTAN – Ukraine sera convoquée la semaine prochaine, tout comme
d’autres consultations avec d’autres partenaires clé, tel la Géorgie, la
République de Moldova, la Finlande, la Suède et l’UE.

Kazakhstan – L’ex président kazakh Noursoultan Nazarbaiev appelle la population à soutenir le gouvernement pour faire face a la crise que traverse le pays, a déclaré samedi son porte-parole, selon l’AFP. Le Kazakhstan, plus grand pays d’Asie centrale, est ébranlé par une contestation qui a éclaté dimanche en province avant de s’étendre à d’autres villes et surtout a Almaty, la capitale économique, ou les manifestations ont viré en émeutes chaotiques et meurtrières. L’appel de l’ex président Noursoultan Nazarbaiev intervient alors qu’un de ses alliés proches, Karim Kajymkanouli Massimov, ancien Premier ministre, a été arrêté pour trahison après avoir été démis de ses fonctions de chef du Comité national de sécurité (KNB) comme conséquence des émeutes déclenchées par une hausse du prix du gaz. Le KNB a indiqué samedi que M. Massimov avait été placé en détention jeudi après le lancement d’une enquête pour haute trahison. Le chef de l’Etat, Kassym-Jomart Tokaiev, a autorisé vendredi les forces de sécurité a tirer pour tuer afin d’étouffer toute rébellion et, fort de l’appui de la Russie, a exclu de négocier avec les manifestants. Un contingent de troupes russes et d’autres pays alliés de Moscou sont arrivées jeudi au Kazakhstan pour appuyer le pouvoir en place en protégeant les bâtiments stratégiques et en épaulant les forces de l’ordre.

Diplomatie – Le ministre roumain des AE, Bogdan Aurescu, rencontrera lundi son homologue du Pakistan Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi, pour des pourparlers politiques dans le cadre de la visite officielle que celui-ci effectue les 9 et 10 janvier en Roumanie. Cette visite se déroule dans le contexte d’une dynamique positive enregistrée récemment dans les relations bilatérales, y compris pour ce qui est de « l’appui essentiel » que le Pakistan a accordé aux efforts de la Roumanie d’évacuation d’Afghanistan de ses propres citoyens, de ressortissants d’autres Etats alliés et de 156 ressortissants afghans en situation de risque durant les mois d’août et de septembre 2021. Un accord de coopération entre la Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie de Roumanie et l’Association des Chambres de Commerce et d’industrie du Pakistan sera signé à cette occasion. S’y ajoutera un accord de coopération qui prévoit un échange de bourses entre l’Université Polytechnique de Bucarest et l’Université d’Islamabad.

Tennis – La joueuse roumaine de tennis, Simona Halep s’est qualifiée aujourd’hui dans la finale du tournoi de Melbourne Summer Set 1, après avoir disposé en deux sets de la chinoiseQinwen Zheng. Halep, deuxième favorite affrontera dans le dernier acte la sportive russe Veronika Kudermetova, qui a bénéficie du retrait de la Japonaise Naomi Osaka, avant la demi-finale de samedi. Simona s’est imposée dans les deux matchs antérieurs contre Kudermetova. Pour Halep c’est la 41e finale de sa carrière de simple. La Roumaine en a remporté 22.

Handball – La sélection nationale de handball de Roumanie a débuté par une victoire dans le 3e groupe de la première phase des préliminaires du Championnat du monde de l’année prochaine sur le score de 33 à 30 contre Israël, vendredi dans la soirée à Cluj dans le centre-ouest du pays. La Roumanie s’est assurée pratiquement la qualification dans la phase suivante de la compétition. Dimanche la Roumanie rencontre la République de Moldova.

Météo – Les météorologues ont émis aujourd’hui une alerte code jaune aux chutes de neige et aux tempêtes de neige sur 14 départements de l’ouest du nord-ouest et du sud-ouest du pays, valable jusqu’à dimanche matin. Des chutes de neige sont prévues et une couche moyenne de 10 à 15 centimètres se posera sur ces territoires. Sur les Carpates Occidentales, sur l’ouest des Carpates Méridionales et sur le nord des Carpates Orientales les chutes de neige seront abondantes. Des précipitations mixtes et des pluies verglaçantes sont attendues. Les maxima iront de 0 à 9 degrés. Temps morose à Bucarest aussi avec des maximas de 2 degrés seulement.

8 January 2022
State of alert in Romania extended

In the context of the rapid spread of the Omicron strain of the novel coronavirus, which is transmitted much more easily, wearing a protective mask becomes mandatory again, as of Saturday, in all enclosed and open spaces in Romania, as the state of alert has been extended by the Government. Furthermore, the use of textile or plastic masks is no longer permitted due to their very low efficiency. Doctor Valeriu Gheorghiţă drew attention to the wrong way in which people often wear the protective mask, without adequately covering the nose and mouth.

Valeriu Gheorghiţă: “Besides this recommendation to use a medical mask, I would suggest that people should use the mask correctly, because good masks are useless if people do not use them correctly. The three-layer surgical masks should be replaced every four hours. FFP2 masks can be worn for a longer period because they have a much more rigorous filtration”.

Besides the obligation to wear a protective mask, there will be restrictions for the activity of restaurants, for shows and sporting events, depending on the Covid-19 incidence rate in each locality. Shops and restaurants will be open until 10 p.m. Meanwhile, in the run up to the 5th wave of the pandemic, the authorities are deciding where to set up Covid outpatient assessment and treatment centers, a measure aimed at reducing the risk of hospital overcrowding, as happened in autumn. According to Dr. Beatrice Mahler, the manager of the Marius Nasta Institute in Bucharest, these centers will be very helpful not only for hospitals, but also for patients who will be healed faster.

Beatrice Mahler: “At the moment, we are approaching the 5th wave from the perspective of a therapy that can be administered from the first days of illness. It is important that the patients who are at risk of developing a severe form, those over 65 or patients with a chronic disease in treatment, have a place to go to from the very first symptoms of the disease. Of course, we should not rule out the presence of patients who are symptomatic and have a suspicion of SARS-CoV-2 infection. They can also go to these centers to get a diagnosis.”

The authorities are strongly recommending vaccination, as it significantly reduces the risk of developing a severe form of COVID-19 and the risk of death. According to experts, the vaccinated people who have also had the booster dose or those who have had the disease are the most protected categories in the run up to the new wave of the pandemic. However, Romanians are not eager to get vaccinated, even if the number of infections is more than four times higher than a week ago, the number of vaccines administered daily being quite small, about several thousand. However, those who have already been fully vaccinated find it easier to decide on having the booster dose. (LS)

7 January 2022
L’état d’alerte sanitaire prolongé à nouveau

Sur le fond de la propagation rapide du variant Omicron du coronavirus, dont la transmission est beaucoup plus rapide, le port du masque de protection est à nouveau obligatoire à commencer par ce samedi dans tous les espaces fermés et ouverts de Roumanie, suite à la décision du gouvernement de prolonger l’état d’alerte. Ce qui plus est, les masques textiles et en plastique ne sont plus acceptés à cause de leur faible degré d’efficacité. Le médecin Valeriu Gheorghita a souligné que souvent les Roumains portent le masque d’une manière incorrecte et que celui-ci ne couvre pas le nez et la bouche. Ecoutons le médecin Valeriu Gheorghiţă, qui est aussi coordinateur de la campagne nationale de vaccination: « Je répète cette recommandation d’utiliser un masque médical, d’utiliser correctement le masque, surtout un bon masque. Les masques chirurgicaux à trois couches, devraient être remplacés toutes les quatre heures. Les masques de type FFP2 peuvent être portés pour une période plus longue de temps, parce qu’ils filtrent mieux les impuretés. » a expliqué Valeriu Gheorghita.

Hormis l’obligation de porter un masque, l’activité des restaurants sera également limitée, tout comme dans les cas des spectacles et des compétitions sportives, en fonction du taux d’incidence enregistré dans chaque localité. Les magasins et les restaurants devront fermer à 22 heures. Entre temps, pour la 5e vague de la pandémie, les autorités envisagent d’aménager des centres d’évaluation et de soins ambulatoires pour les malades de covid, censées réduire la pression exercée sur les hôpitaux, comme ce fut le cas durant la précédente vague en automne.

Selon le médecin Beatrice Mahler, manager de l’institut Marius Nasta de la Capitale roumaine, ces centres seront particulièrement utiles non seulement pour dégrever les hôpitaux, mais aussi pour soigner d’une manière plus rapide et efficace des malades. Beatrice Mahler : « A l’heure actuelle pour la 5e vague nous mettons en place des thérapies à administrer à commencer par les premiers jours de la maladie. Il est important que ces malades qui risquent de faire une forme sévère de Covid, les personnes âgées de plus de 65 ans ou les patients qui souffrent d’une maladie chronique se présentent immédiatement après les premiers jours depuis le début de l’infection. Certes, nous n’excluons pas la présence des malades symptomatiques mais qui sont seulement soupçonnés d’être infectés au virus SARS – CoV – 2. Ceux-ci peuvent également se rendre dans de tels centres pour un diagnostic. » a précisé Beatrice Mahler.

Les autorités soulignent toujours l’importance de la vaccination puisqu’elle est la seule à réduire d’une manière significative le risque de développer une forme sévère de Covid 19, ainsi que le risque d’un décès des suites de la maladie. De l’avis des spécialistes, les personnes vaccinées, qui ont également fait la 3e dose de rappel et celles qui ont été infectées par le passé sont les catégories les mieux protégées à la veille de la nouvelle vague de la pandémie. Les Roumains s’avèrent toujours assez réticents au sujet de l’immunisation. Même si le nombre des infections a quadruplé par rapport à celui enregistré il y a une semaine, le nombre des doses réalisées chaque jour demeure constant et tourne autour des quelques milliers. Généralement ceux qui ont déjà fait le schéma complet de vaccination choisissent aussi à se faire vacciner avec la 3e dose.

7 January 2022
05.01.2022

Covid – Le Comité national pour les Situations
d’Urgence a décidé ce mercredi de prolonger l’état d’alerte en Roumanie et de
maintenir en place les restrictions sanitaires. Le port de masque chirurgical
ou de type FFP2 redevient obligatoire pour tous les Roumains, aussi bien à
l’extérieur, qu’à l’intérieur. Y font exception les enfants de moins de 5 ans,
les salariés qui travaillent seuls dans les bureaux, les présentateurs de
télévision et leurs invités, les représentants des cultes religieux et ceux qui
prennent la parole dans des espaces ouverts ou clos, à condition de respecter
une distanciation sociale de 3 mètres. La Roumanie a rapporté 4893 nouveaux cas
de contamination au coronavirus ces 24 dernières heures sur 63000 testes
effectués. L’incidence est à la hausse dans presque tous les départements de
Roumanie, y compris à Bucarest. Le taux de contamination au niveau national se
monte actuellement à 0,67. Le Groupe de communication stratégique a annoncé
aussi 30 décès supplémentaires en 24 heures dont 6 antérieurs à la période de
référence. 409 patients positifs sont hospitalisés dans des unités de soins
intensifs. Presque 8 millions de Roumains se sont fait vacciner d’un schéma
complet d’immunisation, ce qui représente 40% de la population éligible.

PNRR – Le gouvernement roumain se réunit aujourd’hui pour examiner des aspects liés au Plan national de relance et de résilience. Les membres de l’Exécutif de Bucarest seront mis au courant du taux d’absorbtion des fonds de cohésion attribués aux cadres financiers pluriannuels 2014-2020 et 2021-2027. La réunion de ce mercredi débouchera aussi sur la modification de l’annexe à une décision gouvernementale datant de 2008 portant sur la liste des dénominations communes internationales des médicaments remboursés intégralement ou partiellement par la Sécurité sociale ou offerts dans le cadre des programmes nationaux de santé publique. Le gouvernement devra voter aussi une série de décisions dont celle visant les médicaments couverts par le régime des assurances maladies et celle portant sur l’accord roumano-moldave de construction d’aquéducs.

Tennis – La Roumaine Simona Halep rencontre ce mercredi l’Australienne, Destanee Aiava au tableau du tournoi de Melbourne Summer Set 1 qui se déroule en Australie. En cas de victoire, la Roumaine jouera son prochain match contre sa compatriote Gabriela Ruse, qui a remporté une victoire facile face à l’Australienne Arina Rodionova. Mardi, deux autres joueuses de tennis roumaines ont remporté des victoires. Irina Begu a eu raison de l’Américaine Jessica Pegula, principale favorite du tournoi, tandis que Sorana Cîrstea a battu la Russe, Varvara Graceva. Dans le concours de double, la paire Simona Halep/Gabriela Ruse a perdu face au duo Bernarda Pera, des Etats-Unis/Katerina Siniakova, de République Tchèque. Les deux tournois Summer Set de Melbourne précédent l’Open australien prévu du 17 au 30 janvier.

Météo – En Roumanie, il fait particulièrement doux pour janvier. Le ciel est partiellement couvert dans l’ouest, le nord-ouest et le centre et des pluies éparses touchent ces régions. Des précipitations mixtes sous forme de neige et de giboulée sont signalées en altitude. Le vent souffle légèrement sur l’ensemble du territoire et plus fort sur les sommets des Carpates. Les températures maximales de la journée iront de 8 à 17 degrés. 11 degrés à midi, à Bucarest. Une alerte jaune au vent très fort est en vigueur jusqu’à ce soir dans plusieurs départements du nord et du centre de la Roumanie.

5 January 2022
Crowding in border checkpoints

As it happens every year, the Romanians living abroad
are beginning to come home these days to spend their winter holidays with their
families. This is the second Christmas and New Year’s that people will
celebrate under pandemic restrictions.

The new rules for entering Romania, introduced by the
authorities on December 10 to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus
variant, Omicron, are making checkpoints even more crowded than usual. Many Romanians
are not vaccinated and unaware of the new restrictions.

Those who come from outside the EU must present a PCR
test not older than 48 hours. Those who test negative, even if unvaccinated or
not recovered from the disease, will have to isolate for 10 days, while
travellers without a test will have to quarantine for 14 days.

For those who come from the EU, the requirements
include the digital certificate confirming vaccination, recovery from the
disease or a negative PCR test not older than 72 hours. The rules apply for
both Romanian and foreign nationals.

Border police warn that, because people are not aware
of these regulations, at the Nădlac 2 checkpoint on Romania’s western border, in
8 hours as many as 1,400 people were quarantined either for 10 or for 14 days. And
with the quarantine documents requiring time to fill in, the waiting times at
the border are even longer.

In order to avoid crowding, the number of agents and
of lanes has been increased in most border points. But even so, people are
waiting for as long as 2 hours to get into Romania.

And so do lorries and trucks. Customs officers and
border police say their number has been on the rise since mid-November, when fruit
and vegetable imports went up, and the processing capacity stayed the same.

According to border police, these days at the southern
border, with Bulgaria, truck drivers have been waiting for as long as 2 hours, on
the western border, in Borş 2, waiting times are around one hour, and in the
north-east, at the Ukrainian border, the longest waiting time is 2 hours, at
the Siret checkpoint. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

14 December 2021
Vaccination and restrictions

Romanians’ interest in vaccination continues to drop, despite doctors’ assurances that immunisation greatly reduces the risk of severe forms of Covid-19 and associated deaths. Experts point to a decrease in the incidence of cases in recent weeks across the country and recall the end of October, when Romania recorded the highest number of people vaccinated with the first dose since the beginning of the pandemic, 111,000. Back them, however, it was announced that Romanians would be allowed to go to work only if they had a green certificate and, specialists say, that prompted them to get vaccinated.

After the bill on the digital certificate was rejected by the Senate and blocked in the Chamber of Deputies, interest in immunisation has steadily declined. In this context, the coordinator of the national vaccination campaign against COVID-19, Valeriu Gheorghiţă, is of the opinion that the implementation of the green certificate must be done in such a way as to prevent a new wave of diseases and not in the middle of such a wave. He says the certificate will not be one hundred percent effective in preventing the disease, but will significantly reduce the risk of contracting it.

According to Valeriu Gheorghiță, any action taken by the authorities must be both preventive and encourage vaccination. He says that studies show a high level of protection in the case of people who have had the disease and are fully vaccinated, but also of those who have taken the booster dose. It should be mentioned that so far, Romanians have not rushed into taking this third jab either. About 1.8 million of them have done so, and the fully vaccinated stand at just over 7.6 million.

Even if the number of those immunised is not up to the authorities’ expectations, they have eased the restrictions against the background of a drop in the number of infections and deaths in Romania and in anticipation of the winter holidays. Measures include wearing a mask indoors, but only in crowded areas outdoors. Access to restaurants and shops is allowed until 10 p.m., instead of 9. All activities that were limited to 30% of capacity are now allowed up to 50%, as in cinemas, theatres and gyms, but only for those vaccinated, who’ve had the diseases or have a negative test result. As for Christmas and New Year’s Eve, the restaurants are allowed to stay open.

However, the head of the Emergency Department, Raed Arafat, has warned that the effects of New Year’s Eve parties will be seen after about two weeks and that not everyone will follow the sanitary rules to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. And doctors warn that indoors the risk of infection with the new coronavirus remains extremely high. (MI)

13 December 2021
Vaccination and restrictions

Romanians’ interest in vaccination continues to drop, despite doctors’ assurances that immunisation greatly reduces the risk of severe forms of Covid-19 and associated deaths. Experts point to a decrease in the incidence of cases in recent weeks across the country and recall the end of October, when Romania recorded the highest number of people vaccinated with the first dose since the beginning of the pandemic, 111,000. Back them, however, it was announced that Romanians would be allowed to go to work only if they had a green certificate and, specialists say, that prompted them to get vaccinated.

After the bill on the digital certificate was rejected by the Senate and blocked in the Chamber of Deputies, interest in immunisation has steadily declined. In this context, the coordinator of the national vaccination campaign against COVID-19, Valeriu Gheorghiţă, is of the opinion that the implementation of the green certificate must be done in such a way as to prevent a new wave of diseases and not in the middle of such a wave. He says the certificate will not be one hundred percent effective in preventing the disease, but will significantly reduce the risk of contracting it.

According to Valeriu Gheorghiță, any action taken by the authorities must be both preventive and encourage vaccination. He says that studies show a high level of protection in the case of people who have had the disease and are fully vaccinated, but also of those who have taken the booster dose. It should be mentioned that so far, Romanians have not rushed into taking this third jab either. About 1.8 million of them have done so, and the fully vaccinated stand at just over 7.6 million.

Even if the number of those immunised is not up to the authorities’ expectations, they have eased the restrictions against the background of a drop in the number of infections and deaths in Romania and in anticipation of the winter holidays. Measures include wearing a mask indoors, but only in crowded areas outdoors. Access to restaurants and shops is allowed until 10 p.m., instead of 9. All activities that were limited to 30% of capacity are now allowed up to 50%, as in cinemas, theatres and gyms, but only for those vaccinated, who’ve had the diseases or have a negative test result. As for Christmas and New Year’s Eve, the restaurants are allowed to stay open.

However, the head of the Emergency Department, Raed Arafat, has warned that the effects of New Year’s Eve parties will be seen after about two weeks and that not everyone will follow the sanitary rules to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. And doctors warn that indoors the risk of infection with the new coronavirus remains extremely high. (MI)

13 December 2021
La semaine du 6 au 11 décembre 2021

Malgré la prolongation de létat dalerte sanitaire, en Roumanie plusieurs mesures restrictives ont été relâchées durant la période des fêtes dhiver.

Le 9 décembre, les autorités de Roumanie ont prolongé dun mois létat dalerte institué dans le contexte de lépidémie de coronavirus, mais sur la toile de fond de lévolution à la baisse du nombre des infections dépistées toutes les 24 heures, le gouvernement a éliminé toute une série de restrictions. On peut renoncer au masque de protection dans les espaces ouverts là où il ny a pas trop de monde et laccès à lintérieur sera permis aussi aux personnes non-vaccinées si elles peuvent produire le résultat négatif dun test de dépistage de linfection au virus SARS-CoV-2. Linterdiction de circuler après 23 heures a également été éliminée. A loccasion des fêtes dhiver, Noël et le Réveillon du Nouvel An, les restaurants peuvent ouvrir dans la limite de 50 % de leur capacité, mais laccès se fera en vertu du pass sanitaire attestant la vaccination, linfection par le passé ou le résultat négatif dun test de dépistage. Par ailleurs, le taux de vaccination demeure assez bas en Roumanie. Depuis le début de la campagne de vaccination anti-Covid le 27 décembre 2020, plus de 7,8 millions de personnes ont été vaccinées, dont 7,6 millions au schéma complet.

Nouvelles règles à lentrée en Roumanie afin de prévenir la propagation du nouveau variant du coronavirus.

Les autorités de Bucarest ont durci les règles appliquées aux voyageurs qui entrent en Roumanie, afin de prévenir la propagation du nouveau variant du coronavirus, Omicron. A compter du 10 décembre, toute personne arrivant en Roumanie depuis des Etats non-communautaires doit présenter le résultat négatif dun test de dépistage PCR fait 48 heures auparavant tout au plus. Les personnes non-immunisées, soit par vaccination, soit par infection, mais testées négatives, seront placées en quarantaine pour 10 jours alors que les personnes qui ne peuvent pas produire le résultat négatif dun test seront placées en quarantaine pour 14 jours. Pour les personnes en provenance de lespace communautaire, les règles sont différentes. Elles devraient présenter un certificat vert numérique attestant, la vaccination, une infection au cours des 180 derniers jours ou bien le résultat négatif dun test de dépistage, réalisé 72 heures avant le voyage. Ces règles sappliquent tant aux ressortissants roumains quaux étrangers. Elles seront en vigueur jusquau 8 janvier à minuit.

Elaboration du budget dEtat 2022

Le budget dEtat de la Roumanie pour lannée prochaine ne reposera pas sur lintroduction de nouvelles taxes et toute modification du régime fiscal sera réalisée dune manière prédictible, après un dialogue avec le milieu économique privé, a annoncé le ministre des Finances, Adrian Câciu. Pour sa part, le ministre du travail, Marius Budai, a annoncé avoir signé deux décrets durgence qui devraient recevoir prochainement laval du Gouvernement de la coalition PNL-PSD-UDMR. Lun prévoit la majoration des allocations familiales pour les enfants et lautre la progression du point de retraite et de la retraite minimum qui augmentera jusquà 200 euros environ. La coalition gouvernementale sest proposé de faire approuver le budget dEtat 2022 par le Parlement de Bucarest avant le 24 décembre.

LOTAN et son flanc oriental

A Bucarest, au forum Aspen, le secrétaire général de lOTAN, Jens Stoltenberg, a appelé les alliés à investir dans les infrastructures critiques et à diminuer la dépendance des ressources provenant dadversaires potentiels. Jens Stoltenberg a identifié la Russie et la Chine comme principaux acteurs mondiaux qui minent lordre mondial, basé sur des règles et qui agissent dans des régions essentielles à la sécurité de lespace démocratique. Le président roumain, Klaus Iohannis sest prononcé pour le renforcement de la présence militaire de lOTAN sur le flanc est et la dotation de lAlliance pour répondre pleinement aux provocations de la Russie. Le chef de lEtat roumain et les autres leaders européens qui font partie du soi-disant format « Bucarest 9 » se sont entretenus avec le président américain Joe Biden, qui leur à présenté le bilan de son récent dialogue avec le président russe, Vladimir Poutine. Klaus Iohannis affirme quil faudrait renforcer la présence militaire de lOTAN et des Etats Unis en Roumanie et dans la zone de la Mer Noire. Pour sa part, le leader de la Maison Blanche a promis aux membres de lOTAN dEurope centrale des forces militaires supplémentaires et a affirmé clairement lengagement face à lArticle 5 du traité de lAlliance, selon lequel une attaque contre un Etat allié est considérée comme une attaque contre tous les Etats membres.

La visite du premier ministre de la République de Moldova, Natalia Gavriliţa, en Roumanie

La cheffe du gouvernement de la République de Moldova, Natalia Gavriliţă a fait jeudi une visite à Bucarest, où elle a été reçue par le président roumain Klaus Iohannis. Il a reconfirmé lengagement de Bucarest dappuyer la République de Moldova dans les processus de transformation, modernisation et la mise en oeuvre des réformes dans des domaines clé tels lénergie, les transports, la société informationnelle, la transition verte, la Justice et lEducation dans lesprit du Partenariat Stratégique pour lintégration européenne. Auparavant, la première ministre moldave avait rencontré son homologue roumain, Nicolae Ciuca, qui a annoncé que les deux parties souhaitaient conclure au plus vite un nouvel accord relatif à loctroi dune aide financière non-remboursable à la République de Moldova, après lexpiration du précédent accord cette année. La cheffe du cabinet de Chisinau a affirmé quune meilleure intégration dans les domaines économique, et commercial et dans celui de linfrastructure de la Roumanie et de la République de Moldova garantissait une intégration accélérée de cette dernière au sein de lUnion européenne.

Ana Maria Popescu – lescrimeuse roumaine la plus titrée a annoncé son retrait de toute activité computationnelle.

Au bout de 20 ans de carrière sportive, Ana-Maria Popescu, vice-championne olympique à Tokyo a annonce son retrait de toute compétition. Fin novembre, à 37 ans, Ana Maria Popescu a été élue meilleure épéiste du monde pour la cinquième fois, un record pour ce sport. Elle a reçu ce titre au cours des saisons 2007- 2008, 2008-2009, 2012- 2013, 2019- 2020 et 2020- 2021. Le palmarès dAna Maria Popescu inclut trois médailles olympiques (une dor et deux dargent), sept médailles aux championnats du Monde et 13 aux championnats dEurope. A présent, elle est lescrimeuse la plus titrée de Roumanie.

11 December 2021
The Week in Review (6-12.12.2021)

The state of alert has been extended in Romania, but sanitary measures have been eased for the winter holidays period

The state of alert instated in Romania in the context of the coronavirus pandemic has been extended for another 30 days as of December 9th, but the government has eliminated several restrictions against the backdrop of a lower number of contaminations. Therefore, protective masks are no longer mandatory in open, uncrowded spaces, and access to enclosed premises will be also allowed to unvaccinated people who present a negative Covid test result. Also the ban on people’s movement at night after 11 p.m. has been lifted. On Christmas and New Year’s Eve, restaurants will be open at half of their capacity but only for the vaccinated people, those who have had the disease or who have a negative test result. In another development, the vaccination rate remains low. Since the onset of the vaccination campaign on December 27, 2020, more than 7.8 million people have been vaccinated, of whom 7.6 million are fully vaccinated.

New rules on entering Romania to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus variant, Omicron

The Romanian authorities have adopted stricter measures for those who enter Romania, to prevent the spread of the new virus strain, Omicron. As of December 10, people coming to Romania from outside the EU will have to provide a negative PCR test result not older than 48 hours. The unvaccinated people and those who have not had the disease but do provide a negative test result will be quarantined for 10 days. If they fail to provide the test, the quarantine period will be 14 days. Rules are different for people coming from EU countries. Just as before, they need to present the green certificate attesting that they are vaccinated, have had the disease in the past 180 days or have a negative PCR test result obtained 72 hours before the trip at the most. These rules apply to both Romanian and foreign citizens. The measures will be applied until January 8, at midnight.

Authorities are drafting Romania’s 2022 budget

Romania’s state budget for 2022 will be drafted without introducing new taxes and any changes to the taxation system will be made in a predictable way following dialogue with the private business environment, said the finance minister Adrian Cârciu. In turn, the labor minister Marius Budăi announced that he signed and sent for approval two emergency decrees which are to be approved soon by the governing coalition made up of the PNL-PSD-UDMR. The first decree provides for an increase in child allowances and the second for an increase in the pension point and the minimum pension, which will thus go up from 800 lei to 1,000 lei (about 200 Euros). The governing coalition intends to forward the 2022 draft budget to Parliament by December 24.

NATO and the eastern flank

NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has called on the Allies, at the Aspen forum in Bucharest, to invest in critical infrastructure and diminish dependance on the resources coming from states that are potential adversaries. Jens Stoltenberg has labelled Russia and China the main global actors that undermine the world order which is based on rules, and that are both acting in areas that have become essential for the security of the democratic space. The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has spoken in favor of boosting the NATO military presence on the eastern flank and of fully equipping the Alliance to be able to face challenges coming from Russia. Klaus Iohannis and the other European leaders that are part of the B9 format have had consultations with the American President Joe Biden who has shared the results of his recent talks with the Russian President Vladimir Putin. Klaus Iohannis considers it necessary to boost the NATO and US military presence in Romania and the Black Sea region. In turn, the White House leader promised additional military capabilities to the NATO members in Central Europe and clearly highlighted his commitment to Article 5 in the Alliance Treaty, which stipulates that an attack against an ally is considered an attack against everybody.

The Moldovan PM Natalia Gavriliţa visits Romania

The PM of Moldova, an ex-Soviet country with a majority Romanian-speaking population) Natalia Gavriliţă on Thursday paid a visit to Bucharest where she was received by President Klaus Iohannis. He reiterated Bucharest’s commitment to granting its full support to the Republic of Moldova in the processes of transformation, modernization and implementation of reforms in such domains as energy, transports, information society, green transition, justice and education, in the spirit of the Strategic Partnership for European integration. Previously, the Moldovan PM had met her Romanian counterpart, Nicolae Ciucă, who announced that the two parties wanted to conclude, as soon as possible, a new agreement on granting non-reimbursable financial assistance to Moldova, after the expiry of the former agreement this year. Natalia Gavriliţă believes that a better economic, commercial and infrastructure integration of Romania and Moldova is the guarantee to an accelerated integration of Moldova into the EU.

Ana-Maria Popescu, the Romanian fencer with the biggest number of titles announced her retirement

The Romanian fencer Ana-Maria Popescu, Olympic vice-champion in Tokyo, has announced her retirement after a career of 20 years. Aged 37, Ana-Maria Popescu was chosen by the International Fencing Federation, at the end of November, the best woman fencer of the world for the fifth time, which is a record. She received this title in the seasons 2007-2008, 2008-2009, 2012-2013, 2019-2020 and 2020-2021. Ana-Maria Popescu has three Olympic medals (one gold and two silver), seven world medals (2-2-3) and 13 European medals (7-4-2), alongside numerous World Cups, being the Romanian fencer with the biggest number of titles. (LS)

11 December 2021