April 11, 2020

A roundup of domestic and international news.

Newsroom, 11.04.2020, 14:05

CORONAVIRUS ROMANIA – The number of deaths from the novel coronavirus has reached 282, with another 523 new infections reported today. The total number of infections stands at 5,990 of whom 758 have recovered. A Romanian citizen infected with coronavirus has died in France, with the death toll in the Diaspora being 43. As many as 694 Romanian citizens abroad have tested positive to the virus. There is a local transmission of the infection at present, with the number of infections from people coming from abroad being on the decrease, according to the National Institute of Public Health. If in the week when the virus was first identified in Romania 67% of the persons who tested positive came from abroad, in particular from Italy, Spain, the UK, France and Germany, in the following week 62% of the patients had no identified epidemiological connection. At national level, around 18 people out of one hundread thousand got infected. In 78% of the cases, the patients were aged 30 to 69, with the average age being 48 years. The average age of the people who died from coronavirus was 67. The youngest person who died was 27 and the oldest 94. Researchers pointed out that social distancing remains vital in fighting the spread of the virus and that the epidemic is not that widespread in Romania for the time being.

MATERIALS – The third set of 35 insulated stretchers for the transport of patients infected with coronavirus was delivered on Friday to the Defence Ministry and is to be distributed to hospitals. The production ff insulated stretchers will continue until the last 20 such objects, out of the total 100, are delivered. The Defence Ministry has said that the product, developed by Romanian military researchers and doctors complied with all security standards. Also, the general manager of Antibiotice Iasi, Ioan Nani, has announced that hydroxychloroquine, the medicine used in the treatment of the coronavirus infection, will also be produced in Romania, after the factory receives the active substance from China, next week. Antibiotice Iasi is going to produce 2.5 million pills.

REPATRIATION – The Romanian Foreign Ministry has announced that 330 Romanians returned to Romania from Spain on Friday, after a temporary stay in that country and that they were affected by the measures taken in the context of the pandemic. The repatriation was made by plane, from Barcelona and Madrid. Also, due to the joint efforts of the Spanish Embassy in Bucharest and the Romanian diplomacy, also repatriated were 41 Spanish citizens. The Foreign Ministry reiterates the message to avoid all unessential travels abroad. It also calls on Romanians abroad to strictly observe restrictions in place in their countries and avoid travelling to Romania.

EASTER – It is Catholic Easter on Sunday and believers in the countries affected by coronavirus will not have access to the church. Due to the strict social distancing measures, masses will be held just like in the previous weeks, without public, and broadcast on radio, TV and internet. At the Vatican, the Friday mass was not held at the Colosseum as in previous years, but in front of St. Peters Basilica. Opera singer Andrea Bocelli will hold a concert at the Dome in Milan, the heart of Lombardia, the region most affected by the virus. The performance will be broadcast on the artist’s YouTube channel. Bocelli will only be accompanied by the cathedral’s organ player.

Rescue package. EU finance ministers have agreed on an emergency rescue package for the member states worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic. Over 500 billion euros are made available to help workers, businesses and governments. The agreement was reached after talks in Brussels, which press agencies say were made difficult by the divisions between the northern nations, especially the Dutch, and the countries in the south of Europe, which were worst hit by the outbreak and whose economies are more fragile. Italy and Spain have called for access to funds that they can spend as they see fit, while the Dutch insisted on strict conditions. A compromise was reached in the end, with the emergency package also making available a consolidated credit line of 240 billion euros, with countries being able to borrow up to 2% of their GDPs. (Translated by Elena Enache)