April 12, 2021 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 12.04.2021, 20:00

COVID-19 IN
ROMANIA – In Romania, almost 3.7 million doses of vaccine have been
administered so far. 1.4 million people have received both jabs. Authorities
have announced that 171 new vaccination centers will be opened this week. The
president of the National Committee for the coordination of activities
regarding the vaccination against SARS-CoV-2, doctor Valeriu Gheorghiţă, has
given assurances that, starting this week, approximately 80,000 people will be
immunized daily. In turn, Prime Minister Florin Cîţu has stated that the recent
evolution of the pandemic, with a slight improvement in terms of new infections
reported, but with an accelerated increase in the number of serious cases,
requires finding solutions to reach the target of 1,600 places in intensive
care. For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, there are over
1,500 infected people in serious condition, and the Intensive Care Units are
full. Romania has exceeded one million infections with the new coronavirus and
25 thousand deaths. In the last 24 hours, over 2,300 cases of infection and 113
deaths were reported.

COVID-19 IN
THE WORLD – The United Kingdom has lifted many of the restrictions imposed
because of the coronavirus pandemic, after months of lockdown. Prime Minister
Boris Johnson described the moment as an important step towards normalcy, but
urged the population to behave responsibly. In Italy, several regions are no
longer in the high-risk category. As regards France, the vaccination campaign
has been accelerated, as the country struggles to control the third wave of the
COVID-19 pandemic. Germany has exceeded the threshold of three million cases of
COVID-19, and calls to tighten restrictions are growing. The number of COVID-19
infections is also increasing in Spain, where several regions have exceeded the
extreme risk threshold. One of the most affected regions is that of the capital
Madrid. In other news, the American company Johnson & Johnson on Monday
made its first vaccine deliveries to EU member states. The serum is the fourth
to be greenlit by the European Medicines Agency, after Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna
and AstraZeneca. Johnson & Johnson is already being administered in the
United States and South Africa and has been certified for population use in
Canada.

SCHOOL -
As of Monday, Romanian 8th and 12th graders return to
classes in 100% online format, until April 29, when the Easter holiday starts.
The current school year has changed due to the negative evolution of the
pandemic this spring, so the holiday has been extended for preschoolers and
pupils, except for those who will take the national exams. As of next autumn, semesters
might be replaced by quarters, and the next school year could be extended to
recover what has been lost by teaching online in the past year, but only if the
education unions, pupils and parents agree. The relevant minister, Sorin
Cîmpeanu, says that all the solutions that will result from these consultations
will be considered.

MOTION -
The Social-Democratic Party in opposition has announced the filing of a simple
motion against Health Minister Vlad Voiculescu, the second in the current
legislature. The Social-Democrats claim Voiculescu is not the right man for
managing the health crisis, is causing confusion, does not observe mandatory
regulations and is arguing with everyone. Vociulescu was appointed on behalf
of the USR-PLUS Alliance, and his position was examined on Monday by the
center-right ruling coalition, who decided to continue to support Voiculescu.
Relations between the Health Minister and Liberal Prime Minister Florin Citu
were strained after the forced evacuation of an orthopedics emergency hospital
in Bucharest which now receives COVID patients. Vlad Voiculescu pointed out
that the hospital is not currently in the subordination of the Health Ministry
and that he could not overrule the hospital manager’s decision.

NATO -
The Cyber ​​Defense Command of the Romanian Ministry of Defense participates,
between April 13-16, in the international cyber defense exercise Locked Shields
2021. Teams from allied and partner states made up of military and civilian
professionals take part in the exercise that takes place in online format,
planned and organized by the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Centre of
Excellence in Tallinn, Estonia. The aim of the exercise is to improve the
training of cyber security specialists and act in large interdepartmental and
multidisciplinary teams in order to protect information technology networks and
national critical infrastructures against multiple and multidirectional cyber-attacks
in real time. Locked Shields 2021 takes place in a real-world scenario, using
state-of-the-art specific technologies and simulating massive cyber incidents,
including strategic decision-making, legal and public communication.

CENSUS -
A trial census was carried out in February and March in Romania, in preparation
for the Population and Housing Census, initially scheduled for 2021, but
postponed for next year. According to the National Institute of Statistics, the
trial census, in which 50,000 households from all over the country
participated, was aimed at testing the data collection capacity, the
functioning of the technical solution for self-census, as well as the
organization of the workflow in the review process. The novel elements include
the possibility for each person to self-review by simply accessing a link, the
elimination of paper questionnaires and the use by reviewers of tablets
provided by the Special Telecommunications Service. Starting 2021, the
Population and Housing Census will be carried out in all EU Member States in
accordance with the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council.

EARNINGS
– The average net salary in Romania decreased to 3,365 lei (about 680 Euros) in
February, 0.9% lower than in January – according to data from the National
Institute of Statistics published on Monday. In February, in most activities in
the economic sector, the level of average net earnings decreased as a result of
the granting in the previous months of occasional bonuses (quarterly and annual
bonuses, for special performances or the 13th salary), rights in kind and
benefits, net profits and amounts from other funds. The highest values ​​of
average net salary were recorded in IT services, and the lowest in hotels and
restaurants. According to the NIS, compared to February 2020, the average net
salary increased by 5.1%.in February 2021. (M.I. & V.P.)