14 April, 2020

President Klaus Iohannis extends state of emergency over the coronavirus outbreak by thirty days.

România Internațional, 14.04.2020, 13:55

State of emergency. President Klaus Iohannis has
extended the state of emergency by 30 days. The pandemic shows no signs of
slowing down, and the danger is not behind us, said the president. He added that
schools remain closed and that the prices of medicine, food and public utility
services may be capped and that the government will take measures to ensure
citizens’ food security. The presidential decree extending the state of
emergency also mentions explicitly the possibility that the management of
public health units may be taken over by defence and national security staff. Under
the Constitution, the state of emergency can be extended as many times as
necessary, but only with Parliament’s approval, which must vote on the issue
within five days of the publication of the president’s decree in the Official
Gazette. The Constitution also stipulates that, once the state of emergency is
extended, the president can expand or restrict its scope. The opposition
parties say they will make their approval conditional on the government’s
presentation of clear measures to boost the economy and protect the population
from the effects of the pandemic. The Social Democratic Party says an economic
plan is needed for the upcoming period that enjoys support among all political
parties and has accused the government of lack of communication. The Pro Romania
party says the production activity and services must be resumed on 1st
May, except in places facing extreme risk; while the Alliance of Liberals and
Democrats have accused the government of anti-Romanian policies, given that
only part of the country is affected by the coronavirus. If Parliament does not
approve the extension of the state of emergency, the president will revoke the
decree, whose measures will no longer come into force.

Toll. 6,879 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in
Romania. 346 have died, while 1,051 have
recovered. Suceava, in the north-east, is the county with the highest number of
infections, followed by the capital Bucharest, Hunedoara county, in the centre,
and Timis county, in the western part of Romania. To prevent the spread of the
virus, almost 500 employees of care homes for the elderly, people with disabilities
and children will be in isolation starting today at their place of work or at
home, as a precaution. In another development, new army shipments of protective
equipment for the medical staff will be arriving every day in Romania this
week. The first shipment arrived yesterday from South Korea.

Opinion poll. More than three
quarters of Romanians believe the crisis generated by the new coronavirus will
be long and difficult, and over 50% are afraid of being infected with the
virus, according to an opinion poll by IRSOP, the Romanian Institute for Public
Opinion Polling, published on Monday. Most respondents expect bankruptcies to
rise and more and more jobs to be destroyed. 52% believe the economy will go
into recession and that the country’s financial situation is fragile. Over 60%
expect the inflation rate to rise and the national currency to depreciate
against the euro. But people are also hoping that the challenges faced by the
healthcare system and the measures taken by the authorities will have some positive
effects in the long term. Half of respondents agree with the government’s
handling of the crisis, with the other half criticising it for its mistakes.
Romanians see the European Union as a source of security. The poll was conducted
over the telephone between 6th and 11th April using a
representative sample of 768 people. The margin of error is plus/minus 3.6%.

World. More than 1.9 million
coronavirus cases have been confirmed globally, and almost 120,000 deaths,
while 445,000 people have recovered. In the US, which is now the epicentre of
the pandemic, more than 1,500 deaths have been recorded in the last 24 hours,
which takes the death toll to almost 24,000. In Europe, Spain, Italy, France
and the UK remain the worst hit countries. China has approved the start of the
human trial of two coronavirus vaccines amid efforts to halt the import of new
cases, especially from Russia. Yesterday, Russian president Vladimir Putin said
the outbreak is spreading and that he may deploy the army to contain it if
necessary. While some countries are extending restriction measures, other are
beginning to ease them gradually. Spain has resumed some activities in the
industry and constructions sectors while keeping in place social distancing and
hygiene restrictions in public places. France has extended the lockdown until
11th May, while Italy will be reopening bookshops, stationery shops
and children’s clothing shops starting tomorrow, although not in all regions.

Wildfire. Ukraine is battling wildfires near
Chernobyl, the site of the abandoned nuclear power plant in the north of the
country. Hundreds of firefighters have been deployed to extinguish the fire.
The smoke emitted by the burning vegetation is extremely toxic, as the area
still retains traces of ashes from 1986 resulting from the explosion of Unit 4
of the nuclear plant. Experts are warning that the smoke may spread to Europe,
including Romania, the Republic of Moldova, Poland, Belarus, Slovakia and
Hungary. The forest near Chernobyl caught fire on 4th April. A
27-year-old man is believed responsible, being suspected of burning waste in
the area. The radioactive cloud resulting from the nuclear accident of 1986
contaminated almost three quarters of Europe. (CM)