August 13, 2021 UPDATE

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Newsroom, 13.08.2021, 19:51

Covid – 19 Romania — The number of new cases of Covid 19 continues to increase in Romania. On Friday the authorities reported 383 new cases out of over 32 thousand tests, this being for the 4th day in a row when the total number of daily cases exceeds 300. Most cases were registered in the capital. Three deaths were also reported. The number of people hospitalized continues to grow. There are now 786 patients in hospitals, of whom 102 are in ICUs. In the first week of August, 81% of the confirmed COVID-19 cases were registered among unvaccinated people, the National Public Health Institute announced. As regards vaccination, currently, there are almost 5 million Romanians who are fully vaccinated. On the other hand, Romania has updated the list of countries with an epidemiological risk. Turkey, Israel and the United States have entered the red list, which already includes Spain, Greece and the UK, the Romanian authorities have announced. Instead, the Netherlands, Malta, Kuwait and Panama were moved from the red list to the yellow one, given a drop in the number of cases there. Bulgaria remains in the green zone, according to the list that comes into force on August 15.

Certificate – From Friday August 13, only the digital certificates will be recognized when crossing EU state borders as proof that a person has been vaccinated against Covid-19, has received a negative test result or has recovered from the infection. The certificates contain a QR code guaranteeing the authenticity of vaccines and tests to prevent forgery. The obligation to present the digital certificates only applies to the countries that require documents such as proof of vaccination, testing or immunization resulting from recovery from infection, as well as to the return to Romania from yellow and red list countries. Travelers entering Romania from a green list country are not required to present the digital certificate or to isolate.

Brussels — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday in Brussels, after a meeting of the NATO members’ ambassadors, that NATO would support the Kabul government “as much as possible” and “adjust” its diplomatic presence in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Western states are sending troops to evacuate embassy staff from the capital Kabul. A contingent of US forces already arrived in Afghanistan on Friday, where it will secure the evacuation of the US embassy staff. The United Kingdom has made a similar move, temporarily deploying some 600 troops to Afghanistan to support British citizens leaving the country. The Taliban insurgents consolidated control of Afghanistan on Friday, conquering the countrys second and third most important cities, Kandahar and Herat. In eight days, they have conquered almost half of Afghanistans provincial capitals and are now controlling most of the countrys north, west and south. The Taliban launched their offensive in May, with the start of the definitive withdrawal of US and NATO troops from Afghanistan, an operation that would end later this month.

MAE – Against the backdrop of the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, the Romania Foreign Ministry – MAE informs that the alert level for Afghanistan has been re-evaluated and raised, and urges the Romanian citizens to leave the territory of that state urgently. MAE warns that these security developments are associated with a major risk of terrorist attacks and armed clashes. MAE recalls that the activity of the Romanian Embassy in Kabul was suspended in 2019, following an attack that severely damaged the mission building. Given the lack of an operational mission in Kabul and the fact that the Romanian Embassy in Islamabad has taken over the countrys representation in relation to Afghanistan, the intervention capacity of that mission in Afghanistan is limited. MAE strongly recommends the Romanian citizens traveling to Afghanistan or who are already on the territory of this state to contact the Romanian Embassy in Islamabad. At the same time, Romanian citizens can request support from the diplomatic missions of the EU member states that are still operational in Kabul.

Investments – Direct foreign investments rose to 3.138 billion Euros in the first six months, as compared to 996 million Euros in the same period of 2020, according to data published on Friday by the National Bank of Romania. The number of newly established foreign capital companies in Romania increased in the same period by 53.7% as compared to the similar period of 2020, to 2,573 units, according to data centralized by the National Trade Register Office. On the other hand, in the first six months, the total external debt increased by almost 2.1 billion Euros. The current account deficit — namely the difference between imports and exports – increased by 73.4%, a little over 7 billion Euros — show central bank data.

Paralympics – Seven Romanian athletes are taking part in the Tokyo Paralympic Games held between 24th August and 5th September. They are competing in table tennis, judo, athletics, cycling and archery and their goal is to win three medals. Under the rules in place, the Paralympic athletes cannot be accompanied by medical staff or carers. Romania has four medals in the history of Paralympic Games: a bronze won by Alex Bologa in Rio in judo and three won by the current minister for sports Eduard Novak in cycling, namely gold in London and two silver in Beijing and London. Eduard Novak will also compete in the Tokyo Paralympics, where he is confident he can win a medal.

COVID — 19 world – The World Health Organization (WHO) does not support compulsory vaccination against COVID-19 in any country, although it defends the importance of immunization, WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib told a news conference on Friday in response the fact that several countries are considering compulsory vaccination. According to her, vaccines are just one of the tools we have at our disposal to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. WHO experts have reiterated throughout the year that vaccines are not enough in the fight against the novel coronavirus and that they must be combined with health measures. To date, approximately 4.4 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered worldwide. In countries such as Spain, France, Canada, the United Kingdom or Germany, the percentage of fully vaccinated people is about 60% (as compared to 50% in the US), while in many low-income countries the percentage of fully vaccinated people is only 1%. On the other hand, about 206.5 million cases of infection with the new coronavirus have been reported so far worldwide, and more than 4.3 million people have died, according to worldometers.info. (LS)