April 27, 2021 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 27.04.2021, 20:00
Vaccination. Romanias president Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday called again on the population to get vaccinated, stating that vaccination is the only way to end the pandemic. Vaccinating as many Romanians as possible means removing restrictions and returning to normalcy, said the head of state. Klaus Iohannis also announced that on the night of the Resurrection, traffic restrictions will be lifted, for everybody to be able to attend the religious services. In another move, the president of the National Committee for the Coordination of Vaccination Activities, Valeriu Gheorghiţă, has announced that new vaccination centers will be opened in Romania in the coming days. The first drive-through center in Bucharest will be opened on Thursday, where people will be able to get the jab without having to get an appointment first. Moreover, a marathon of COVID vaccination will be organized in the capital between the 7th and the 9th of March. About a thousand vaccination centers are currently active, with almost 1,500 flows, with a capacity of over 120,000 immunized people per day. Valeriu Gheorghita has also stated that over 5 million people will be immunized until June 1 in Romania if the vaccination rate is maintained as it is today. So far, about 3.1 million people have been vaccinated across the country, with one or both doses.
Covid-19Ro. 2,019 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Romania in the last 24 hours, according to the Strategic Communication Group. Another 172 related fatalities have also been reported, and 1,336 patients are currently in intensive care. Nearly 10,000 patients are being treated for COVID-19 in hospitals across Romania. Since the start of the pandemic, over 1 million infections have been confirmed in Romania, 95% of the people who got sick having recovered. The third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is slowing down in Romania, Prime Minister Florin Cîţu said, stressing the need to observe health safety regulations – the mandatory wearing of face masks and physical distancing, including during the Orthodox Easter holidays.
Pandemic. Several aircraft carrying emergency medical equipment arrived on Tuesday in India, which is facing severe difficulties created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Medical equipment, mechanical ventilators, oxygen generators, liquefied oxygen tanks as well as equipment required to produce COVID-19 vaccines have been sent to India by the EU, the USA, France, the UK, Germany and other countries. India on Monday reported a world record-high number of over 350 thousand new cases of COVID-19 over the course of 24 hours, and a new record-high death toll of 2,800 people at national level. The WHO says the situation in this country is “beyond heartbreaking” and insists that vaccination is key.
Defense. Romania will withdraw its forces from Afghanistan in coordination with the other NATO members, starting May 1, 2021, and all 615 soldiers and over 80 tons of materials and logistics elements will be extracted with national and coalition military aircraft. The announcement was made by the Presidential Administration in a statement at the end of Tuesdays meeting of the Supreme Council of National Defense, chaired by President Klaus Iohannis. On the other hand, Romania is interested in resolving the prolonged conflicts around the Black Sea, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched some initiatives in this regard at the level of the European Union. In the context of the concentration of Russian Federation troops at the eastern border of Ukraine, the Romanian authorities remain vigilant and will continue to monitor this unjustified mobilization of forces, the statement reads. On Thursday, the Russian Minister of Defense, Sergey Shoygu announced their withdrawal to the permanent bases, an operation to be completed by May 1st.
GDP. The National Commission for Strategy and Prognosis revised upwards, to 5%, the forecast regarding the growth of the Gross Domestic Product of Romania this year, compared to the previous forecast of 4.3%. For the coming years, the GDP growth is also estimated at around five percent. Earlier, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank improved their estimates on the evolution of the Romanian economy this year. The IMF forecast an economic growth rate of 6% and the World Bank 4.3%. The state budget for 2021 was built by the Bucharest executive based on an economic growth of 4.31%.
Corruption. The National Anticorruption Directorate announced, on Tuesday, the beginning of the criminal investigation against the former Social-Democratic Minister of Health, Florian Bodog, for abuse of office and intellectual property crime. We recall that last week the plenum of the Romanian Senate approved the NADs request in this regard. Florian Bodog is accused by prosecutors that, as a minister, allowed a person employed as a personal adviser to get a salary for a year, without actually going to work and without carrying out the activities stipulated in the employment contract. Moreover, Bodog allegedly signed a number of documents on behalf of the said adviser.
EU-UK. At the debate held on Tuesday, the political groups in the European Parliament stood for the agreement setting out the rules for the future EU-UK relationship. Most MEPs, as well as the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the Portuguese presidency of the EU Council said they regretted Britains withdrawal, but called for a vote in favor of the EU-UK trade and cooperation agreement. They added that it is the best option to mitigate the worst effects of the withdrawal and to ensure the integrity of the single market. MEPs also stressed that the EP would continue to play an active role in closely monitoring the UKs full compliance. (MI)
