April 8, 2021

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 08.04.2021, 13:55

State of alert. The government meets today to
approve the extension of the state of alert in Romania and to decide on a
possible easing of restrictions for the upcoming Orthodox Easter. Prime
minister Florin Cîţu said on Facebook that
he will submit a number of proposals to the National Committee for Emergency
Situations relating to the Easter celebrations, such as easing the night-time
curfew to allow movement outside the home until 5 am for people who wish to
attend the Easter service. He also wants to extend opening times for shops by
two hours on Good Friday and to allow seaside resorts to open at a capacity of
70%, just like mountain resorts. Almost 5,000 new coronavirus cases were recorded
today in Romania, as well as 172 new deaths, while ICU cases hit a new high, at
1,495. Almost 2.2 million people have been given at least one shot of the Covid
vaccine in this country.

AstraZeneca. A link between
AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine and rare blood clots is considered plausible but is
not confirmed, said the World Health Organisation after the European Medicines
Agency on Wednesday said it found a potential link between the Covid
vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and rare blood clots in adults who received
this jab. The Agency emphasised, however, that the benefits outweigh the risks.
A number of states such as the UK, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands and Italy
decided to limit the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine depending on age. Romania
has not yet made any changes in this respect, with the exception that people
who developed blood clots after the first dose will be given a different
vaccine for their second dose.

Human rights. Amnesty International writes in its annual report that human
rights were violated all over the world during the Covid pandemic. The Covid
crisis aggravated inequality, discrimination and oppression, the human rights
watchdog also writes, warning that the worst affected were vulnerable groups
such as chronic patients, refugees, healthcare workers and the minorities. In Romania’s
case, Amnesty International notes that the government’s response raised human
rights concerns, especially with regard to policing, the right to freedom of peaceful
assembly and the right to education.

Romani Day. International Romani Day
is celebrated every year on 8th April to recognise the culture,
history and rights of the millions of Roma around the world and to warn on the
discrimination still faced by Roma communities in Europe and elsewhere. Romanian
president Klaus Iohannis said in a statement that a tolerant and open society
must reject all forms of racist and xenophobic attitudes. He said that in these
extremely complicated times marked by the grave consequences of the Covid
pandemic, cherishing the contribution of each and every one of us to the common
good and social solidarity can help us overcome the difficulties were are facing.
Prime minister Florin Cîţu emphasised that Romanian society proved in its
history that multicultural harmony is a source of fulfilment and inspiration
and the traditions of each ethnic group add to the national cultural heritage.

Judiciary. The judicial committee of the Romanian Senate today began
debates on a bill proposed by the government to dismantle a special department
investigating crimes in the judiciary. On 24th March senators passed
the bill with a few amendments, such as one providing that magistrates can only
be indicted with the approval of the Superior Council of Magistrates. On Wednesday,
the Social Democrats in opposition opposed the use of an emergency procedure to
debate the bill and requested a detailed analysis following an opinion from the
Venice Commission. The head of the Senate’s judicial committee Iulia Scântei
says dismantling the department for the investigation of crimes in the
judiciary is an emergency and will help Romania’s case in the elimination of
the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism. Created during the former Social
Democrat government, the department was criticised as a means of exerting
pressure on judges and prosecutors.

Tennis. The Romanian-German pair
Mihaela Buzărnescu and Anna-Lena Friedsam reached the doubles semifinals at a WTA
tennis tournament in Bogota worth 235,000 dollars in prize money. They defeated
the Russian-Chinese pair Iana Sizikova and Yafan Wang in straight sets and will
next be facing either Arina Rodionova and Rosalie van der Hoek or Lara
Arruabarrena and Katarzyna Piter. (CM)