February 1, 2022

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 01.02.2022, 13:50

Covid-19 update. With over 40,000
new Covid cases in the last 24 hours, Romania today set a new daily record
since the start of the pandemic. 97 related fatalities were also reported,
including two from an earlier date. The fortnightly incidence rate in Bucharest
is nearing 22 cases per 1,000 inhabitants, the highest level to be recorded in
the capital city so far. Health minister Alexandru
Rafila says the infection rate may slow down between 10th and 15th February. In
other news, travellers to Romania will only have to isolate for five days irrespective
of their country of origin unless they can produce a Covid vaccine pass, proof
that they have recovered from the infection or a negative Covid test result
from the previous 72 hours. Also, the National Committee for Emergency
Situations has established that contacts of people infected with Covid will
have to isolate for five days, irrespective of whether they are vaccinated or
not.

Parliament. The Senate and the Chamber of Deputies are today holding the
first ordinary parliamentary session this year. The priorities of the current
session include legislation in areas such as energy, justice, healthcare and
the economy. The number one priority right now is establishing the caps and
compensations for electricity and natural gas bills, with Parliament to pass an
emergency order recently issued by the government on a new support scheme for
the population. During the new session, Parliament may also discuss the
amendment of the offshore law, which would unblock projects to extract
hydrocarbons from the Black Sea. Another priority on Parliament’s agenda is the
dismantling of a special department investigating crimes in the judiciary, as
also requested from Brussels.

Census. The first stage of a new
population and housing census is getting under way today in Romania. Lasting
until 13th of March, this stage involves collecting data from
administrative sources and creating the needed data bases. The second stage, to
take place between 14th March and 15th May, will consist
in a self-census, while in the third stage, between 16th May and 17th
July, data will be collected through face-to-face interviews. As a first,
citizens will have the possibility to conduct a self-census from their mobile
phones, tablets and computers. Because of the pandemic, the new census, which
was due to take place last year, was postponed for this year, but a simulation
did take place last March. A population and housing census is conducted in
every EU member state.

Ukraine crisis. The United States
has ordered the family members of its government employees in Belarus to leave
this country which has close ties with Russia and warned against travel to the
region amid tensions between Washington and Moscow on the Ukraine crisis,
Reuters said today. According to the US State Department, the decision was
prompted by unusual and worrying intensification of Russian military activity
near the border with Ukraine. The US had already instructed families of US
diplomats in Kiev to leave Ukraine, on 23rd January. The West
accuses Russia of massing over 100,000 troops on the border with Ukraine in
preparation for a possible invasion. The Kremlin says it has no intention to
attack Ukraine, but is requesting official security guarantees, including
assurances that Ukraine will never join NATO and a return to NATO’s positions
of 1997. The US and NATO rejected Russia’s demands. (CM)