August 29, 2021 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 29.08.2021, 20:00

COVID-19 – Romania remains
in the green zone, although the number of COVID-19 patients requiring medical
treatment is on the rise. There are 1,115 people now being treated for
coronavirus in hospitals across Romania, the highest number reported in the
last three months, while 269 people are in intensive care. 868 new cases of
infection and 19 related fatalities were reported on Sunday by the Group for
Strategic Communication, most new cases being signaled in Bucharest and in
Cluj, Timiş and Iaşi counties. Since
the start of the vaccination campaign, 5.1 million people have completed the
full vaccination scheme. Health Minister Ioana Mihăilă said that if the
epidemiological context worsens, travel restrictions may target only people who
haven’t taken the vaccine, and that schools will stay open for as long as
possible. The Romanian official also said the authorities shouldn’t cover the
costs entailed by testing as long as the vaccine is free of charge and widely
available.

PANDEMIC – The list of
countries with a high epidemiological risk will come into force on Sunday at
midnight. Greece, Turkey, North Macedonia, Spain and Switzerland are in the red
zone, which means all arrivals from these countries will be exempted from
quarantine only if people provide proof of vaccination. The yellow zone now
includes Bulgaria, Serbia, Albania, Slovenia, Japan, Palestine and the
Philippines. Romanians returning from the yellow zone will not enter quarantine
if they have the vaccine, had the disease of provide a PCR negative test. The
United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and the British Virgin Islands are now in the
green zone.

EXHIBITION – A Romanian Air
Force aircraft on Sunday transported to Spain artifacts to be presented in the
exhibition Archeological Treasures of Romania – Dacian and Roman Roots.
Bringing together 835 exceptional exhibits from the collections of 39 museums in
Romania, the exhibition will be opened to the general public at the National
Museum of Archaeology in Madrid, and is being coordinated by Romania’s History
Museum. The exhibition will open on September 30 and will close at the end of
January, 2022. It is organized under the aegis of the Romanian Ministries of
Culture and Foreign Affairs, with support from the Defense Ministry, and is
part of the Agenda of Public and Cultural Diplomacy devoted in 2021 to marking
140 years of diplomatic relations between Romania and Spain. The exhibition
also enjoys the high patronage of His Majesty, King Felipe 6th of
Spain and of Romania’s president, Klaus Iohannis.

MOLDOVA – Moldovan
Parliament speaker Igor Grosu on September 1 will be attending the opening of
the second session of the Romanian Parliament. Over August 31 – September 2 the
Moldovan official will pay an official visit to Bucharest, invited by his
Romanian counterpart, Liberal Ludovic Orban. Romania reiterates its firm and
wide support for the processes of reform and European integration of the
Republic of Moldova, Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis on Friday said in
Chişinău. The Romanian official pointed out Romania and Moldova are bound by a
solid relationship: a communion of language, culture and history. The president
said the people of Moldova have expressed their firm option in the latest
election for the pro-reform trajectory and irreversible European accession of
their country, offering a worthy example to follow by other states in the
region. The president gave assurances Romania will remain Moldova’s trusted
partner in the future as well. The president attended festivities marking 30
years since the proclamation of independence of neighboring Moldova.

FESTIVAL – A new edition
of the George Enescu International Festival has started. This year the Festival
has reached its 25th, edition, marking 140 years since the birth of
the great Romanian composer. Over 3,500 artists will take part over August 28 -
September 26 in the festival. Concerts will be held in Bucharest, Sibiu,
Timişoara, Iaşi and Constanţa, and will be divided in four sections: Great
World Orchestras, Concerts and Recitals, Music of the 21st Century and Enescu
and his Contemporaries. Russian conductor Vladimir Jurowski, this year’s
artistic director, says the event will bring together the most important musicians
from all over the world, helping promote the values of united Europe. Radio
Romania is co-producer of the Festival.

TENNIS – 4 of the 5
Romanian tennis players who qualified to the main draw at the US Open will play
in the opening round on Monday. Simona Halep (13 WTA) will play Camila Giorgi
of Italy (36 WTA). Irina Begu (74 WTA) will go up against Andrea Petkovic of
Germany (66 WTA). Ana Bogdan (106 WTA) will play Rebeka Masarova of Spain (231
WTA). Gabriela Ruse (108 WTA) will take on Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech
Republic (40 WTA). Finally, Sorana Cîrstea (38 WTA) will play
Veronika Kudermetova of Russia (31 WTA) on Tuesday. (VP)