Radio România Internațional

Tag: travel restrictions for Romanians

  • July 14, 2020

    July 14, 2020

    COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – Another 637 new
    infections were reported on Tuesday by the Group for Strategic Communication,
    taking the total number of corona infections to 33.585. 234 patients are in
    intensive care. 23.798 people have recovered. 30 people have died in the last
    24 hours to COVID-19, taking the death toll to 1.931. Health Minister Nelu
    Tataru said extending the state of alert beyond July 15 is very possible,
    adding that, should the legislation allow it, the authorities might place
    certain areas of the country in quarantine.




    COVID-19 IN THE WORLD – Over 13.2 million people
    have been infected with COVID-19 around the world. Of these, 7.7 people have
    recovered and over 575.000 have died. The United States is the most affected
    country in the world, with over 135.000 deaths and some 3.3 million confirmed
    cases. The list continues with Brazil, the United Kingdom, Mexico and Italy.
    Countries around the world are reintroducing restrictive measures to keep the
    pandemic in check. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Italy, this
    country is preparing to extend by another three months the state of emergency instated
    at the end of January. Additionally, the authorities in Italy will extend the
    list of countries with a high risk of contamination and with which Italy has
    severed air links.




    RESTRICTIONS – Belgium has put Romania
    on the orange list of states that require special COVID-19 measures. As of
    Wednesday new regulations will be introduced on the Hungarian border as well.
    People crossing from Romania will undergo medical exams, and if no suspicion is
    reported they may enter Hungary, but will have to spend 14 days in isolation or
    quarantine, with the exception of citizens presenting two negative results for
    corona testing. Also on Wednesday, Romanians headed to Greece by car must
    provide on the Pomachonas border proof of a negative test result for SARS CoV2,
    no older than 72 hours. The test must be in English. Starting Thursday, Austria
    will ban flights to 18 states, including Romania, under a decree issued by the
    Health Minister Rudolf Anschober. According to APA news agency, exempted to
    this rule are charter flights carrying merchandise, sick people, repatriated
    Austrian nationals, medical staff or agriculture workers. Some 20 European
    states have imposed travel restrictions for Romanians.




    INITIATIVE – The citizens’
    initiative banning people convicted in court from holding public office has
    been adopted today in the Chamber of Deputies. Once adopted, a referendum must
    be held, the validation of which requires a minimum voter turnout and a
    majority of votes in favor.


    BILL – The Senate’s judicial committee is
    today resuming its debate on the Government’s draft law on quarantine and
    isolation. Considering the social and political controversy surrounding the
    bill, no date has been made public as to a possible final vote on the bill.
    Meanwhile, the Social-Democrat opposition claims the bill leaves room for
    abuse, while the Power says a delay in voting the bill could lead to a dramatic
    increase in the number of infections. We recall the Government passed the bill
    after the Constitutional Court ruled that home isolation, quarantine and
    hospitalization are unconstitutional in the absence of a clear legal framework,
    and even those people infected with COVID-19 cannot be subjected to the said
    measures only on the base of a Ministry decree. On Thursday, the Chamber of
    Deputies adopted the bill in a heavily modified form compared to the original.
    The debate in the Senate is eyeing fundamental rights and liberties in the
    context of a high epidemiological risk.




    MOTION – The Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest
    has passed today a simple motion against Liberal Development Minister Ion
    Stefan, whom the Social-Democrat opposition accuses of incompetence and forgery
    of public deeds. The Social-Democrats have pointed to integrity issues related
    to Stefan’s financial statements and his controversial cuts in the Development
    Ministry’s anticorruption personnel and resources. In turn, Minister Stefan
    says the motion is libelous and insulting. The vote is scheduled for next week.
    Parliament has previously passed other simple motions against Liberal
    ministers, which bear no effects in their dismissal from office.




    JULY 14 – The National Day of France is
    celebrated today. In Paris, instead of the traditional military parade, an air
    show will be staged, in addition to a march of land troops without public participation
    and with a limited list of attending officials and guests. This year the
    celebration is devoted to the medical staff in the first line of defense
    against the coronavirus, the army and military firefighters involved in the
    transport and care of people infected with COVID-19, as well as those to providing
    key services during the lockdown. The Paris City Hall has decided to hold the
    fireworks show at the Eiffel Tower later this evening, with zero public
    participation. The events will be broadcast online and on TV. In Bucharest,
    Prime Minister Ludovic Orban has expressed the willingness of his Cabinet to
    consolidate the French-Romanian Strategic Partnership. In turn, French
    Ambassador to Bucharest, Michele Ramis, said bilateral relations between the
    two states are excellent.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)





  • July 12, 2020 UPDATE

    July 12, 2020 UPDATE

    COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – The Senate in Bucharest next week will
    debate and vote on a controversial draft law submitted by the Liberal
    Government. On Thursday, the Chamber of Deputies passed the law in a heavily
    modified form compared to the original. While the power claims it needs
    leverage to counteract the effects of the pandemic, the opposition says the law
    infringes on citizens’ rights and liberties. Interim Senate Speaker
    Social-Democrat Robert Cazanciuc said the bill will pass only if it answers
    Romanians’ needs. He recalled that opinions have been asked from the Justice
    Ministry and the Superior Council of Magistracy, and the Government also needs
    to provide arguments that observe European practice in the field of compulsory
    hospitalization and the mandatory posting of medical staff. We recall the bill
    on quarantine and isolation was passed by the Government and submitted to
    Parliament after the Constitutional Court ruled that home isolation, quarantine
    and hospitalization cannot be imposed by Ministry decree, as the case has been
    so far. Constitutional Court judges believe refstrictions should be based on a
    clear legal framework. Hundreds of people protested on Sunday against the
    authorities’ handling of the health crisis, as well as against the bill on
    isolation and quarantine. Some 32.500 cases have been reported in Romania,
    23.400 people have recovered. The death toll stands at 1.884. 5.104 Romanians
    have tested positive for SARS CoV2 abroad and 122 have died.




    RESTRICTIONS – Starting
    Wednesday next week Hungary will impose new border crossing restrictions to
    prevent the spread of the virus, in the wake of a resurge in the number of
    infections in several countries. Arrivals from yellow areas, including
    Romania, will be submitted to medical checks at the border and enter quarantine
    for 14 days, while anyone coming from red countries will be denied access.
    Entry into Hungary will be allowed only to citizens presenting two negative
    tests for COVID-19, carried out in the last five days. The tests need to be 48
    hours apart, and the medical certificates must be presented in Hungarian or
    English. Greek authorities have suspended until Tuesday the electronic platform
    for traveller registration, ahead of changing border crossing regulations for
    land entries. As of Wednesday morning, Romanian tourists will have to provide
    proof of a negative test against COVID-19, no older than 72 hours. The
    documentation must be in English and contain the traveller’s identification
    data. The Romanian Foreign Ministry recalls this test does not exclude the
    obligation of completing the online form or being subject to random testing at
    the border. Prime Minister Ludovic Orban has called on the 120 centers doing
    corona testing in the country to take priority in testing tourists with planned
    holidays in Greece. On social media many Romanians have already announced their
    readiness to give up their holidays, mostly due to the expenses associated with
    voluntary testing. Other EU countries have announced restrictions for Romanian
    citizens. People with holiday plans in Austria need documents proving they
    tested negative for SARS CoV2, which must be no older than 4 days at the time
    of entry. The document needs to be translated into German and English and be
    accompanied by proof of accommodation in this country. Anyone failing to
    provide the said documentation will be placed in isolation for 14 days. As of
    Monday, Lithuania will deny access to Romanians, with the exception of people
    on transit to Romania.




    MIGRANTS – Two Serbian
    nationals, who helped 13 Syrians illegally cross into Romania, were picked up
    on Saturday night by the Romanian border police and are now being investigated
    for migrant trafficking. The Syrian citizens, nine men and four women, are aged
    17-30. The Serbian drivers were planning on taking them to Western Europe in
    exchange for €900. The Romanian Border Police has advised citizens against
    transporting unknown people in border areas and to notify the authorities
    whenever they are presented with such requests.




    TENNIS – Tennis
    player Simona Halep, world no. 2 has confirmed her participation in the WTA
    tournament in Palermo, Italy, the first in the WTA circuit after the long
    hiatus caused by the coronacrisis. In a video posted on social media, she said
    she would take part in the competition in Sicily, which will be played on clay
    court over August 3-9. Halep played her last match in February, in the final of
    the tournament in Dubai, which she won against Elena Rybakina of Khazakstan.
    Oliveiro Palma, the director of the tournament in Palermo, said Halep’s
    participation is exceptional news, it had been decades since Palermo last
    hosted a former No.1.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)