14 January, 2021

A roundup of the main stories in Romania today.

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Newsroom, 14.01.2021, 13:55

Vaccination. More than 3,500 new coronavirus cases and 66
related deaths were recorded today in Romania. Total number of confirmed cases now
surpasses 684,000, while the death toll is 17,035. 1,101 Covid
patients are in intensive care. 90% of Romanians who caught the virus have
recovered. Some
155,000 healthcare workers and those working in social care have received the
first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine in Romania. Phase two of the vaccination
campaign gets under way on Friday, targeting the elderly, chronic patients and
workers in key sectors, totalling some 5 million people. Prime minister Florin Cîțu says the pace of vaccination will be
stepped up, the target being the immunisation of more than 10 million people by
September. 62% of Romanians say they want to be given the vaccine according to
a poll conducted by Reveal
Marketing Research between 6th and 11th January.

WHO. The World Health Organisation has warned
that 2021 may be more difficult than 2020 because the spread of new, much more
contagious, variants of the virus is harder to control. The warning comes as a
new strain, initially found in the UK, has now already been confirmed in 50 different
countries and territories. World Health Organisation experts are in Wuhan,
China, to investigate the origin of the pandemic. The 10 scientists on this
mission will be interviewing staff of research institutes, hospitals and the
produce market where the first Covid-19 outbreak was reported at the end of
2019. The arrival of the scientists, after months of negotiations between the
World Health Organisation and China, comes as fresh coronavirus cases have been
reported in northern China. 92.8 million persons have been infected with the
virus globally, while the death toll is nearing 2 million.

Protest. Healthcare trade unions in Solidaritatea
Sanitara federation are picketing the government building in Bucharest and
prefecture offices around the country to demand more protection measures for
healthcare workers amid the pandemic. They are also demanding a rise in the
basic salary for all healthcare staff as of 1st January this year to
the level stipulated in the salary law for 2022. The federation also wants the
government to give up on the reduction of the basic salary as a result of a
government order issued at the end of 2020 and to grant all healthcare workers
special bonuses and a risk incentive for the entire duration of the pandemic.

Salary law. The
government is looking at bonuses in the public sector and if they are justified
as part of drafting the state budget for this year, said prime minister Florin
Cîţu today. He explained that he is considering amending the salary law to
eliminate inequalities in the public sector. He said the pensions law would
also be amended this year to take into account the contribution principle. The
government on Wednesday increased the gross minimum wage by approx. 3%.

Schools. Romanian president Klaus Iohannis is
today meeting education minister Sorin Cîmpeanu, public health officials and
other education and healthcare officials to assess the epidemiological
situation and the possibility of reopening schools. With the exception of two
months, schools have been closed in Romania since March last year, with
teaching being conducted online. Children, parents and teachers are all calling
for the resumption of in-person learning. In the opinion of UNICEF, the
long-term closure of schools has devastating consequences, especially for
vulnerable children.

Corruption. The former Liberal Democrat MEP Marian Zlotea is wanted by
the Romanian police after he was handed a final sentence of 8 years and a half
in prison for corruption and peddling in influence. As the head of the National
Sanitary and Veterinary Authority, he used to force employees to pay monthly
contributions to the now defunct Liberal Democratic Party. On Wednesday, when
he received his sentence, Zlotea posted on Facebook that he left Romania and
applied for political refugee status in a different country, from where he also
plans to write to the European Court of Human Rights.

Celebration. Romanian minister for culture Bogdan Gheorghiu is today unveiling the events to be held
as part of the celebration of National Culture Day tomorrow. The holiday has
been celebrated since 2010 in Romania, the majority Romanian-speaking Republic
of Moldova, historical ethnic Romanian communities and other Romanian
communities abroad. It coincides with the anniversary of the birthday of 19th
century poet Mihai Eminescu, the national poet in Romania. Romanian diplomatic
and consular missions and cultural institutes abroad are hosting special
events. (CM)