13 June 2020, UPDATE

Government seeks extension to state of alert that ends on 15 June./ Romanian railways to restore some international travel.

Newsroom, 13.06.2020, 19:00

State of alert. The state of alert declared by the Romanian authorities
on 15th May comes to an end on Monday, but the government says it
plans to extend it, with a decision in this respect to be taken at the next
government meeting. Prime minister Ludovic Orban has reiterated that this is
not a political move, but founded on expert opinion, given the high risk of a
second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. The extension to the state of alert
must be approved by Parliament, but the opposition say they are no longer going
to vote in favour. According to the interim president of the Social Democratic
Party Marcel Ciolacu, there should be an intermediate stage instead lasting no
more than 15 days. Official figures show that 275 new infections were reported
in Romania over the last 24 hours, with 171 people still in intensive care. 1,394
of the around 21,700 people who contracted the virus have died. Among the
Romanian communities abroad, some 3,400 people had the virus and 114 have died.

Travel. Beginning on Monday, the Romanian railways are
restoring international travel between Craiova in southern Romania and Vidin in
north-western Bulgaria, which was suspended because of the pandemic. The
company says it is having talks with its European partner railways to resume
the travel of Romanian trains on foreign routes. Face masks are obligatory for
the entire duration of a train journey in Romania. Also on Monday, the
transport ministry in Bucharest will publish the list of countries with which
Romania will restore international air travel, with travellers coming from
these states no longer being obliged to self-isolate at home for 14 days on
arrival in Romania.

Economy. The National Bank of Romania has warned that the Romanian
economy may shrink significantly in the second quarter of the year owing to the
shutdown of many economic sectors and lower domestic and external consumption
as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Many Romanian businesses and even
entire sectors had to interrupt their activity overnight, with transport,
tourism, the hospitality industry, recreational activities, industry and trade
being the hardest hit. Economic demand grew considerably in the first quarter
of the year but the labour market saw a sudden drop in March, its effects being
somewhat alleviated by the government’s furlough scheme, says a National Bank report.
The number of budgeted employment contracts has increased, however, recently,
and the trend may continue as the furlough scheme comes to an end. According to
the National Bank, the annual inflation rate will stay at over 3% this year,
even after a clear drop in the second quarter.