January 5, 2022

A roundup of domestic and international news

România Internațional, 05.01.2022, 13:47

Covid-19Ro. The National Committee for Emergency Situations adopted today the decision on the proposal to extend the state of alert and measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The proposal stipulates the obligation to wear only a surgical or FFP2 protective mask , which must cover the mouth and the nose, in all public spaces, both indoors and outdoors. Children under the age of 5, people who are alone in the office, TV presenters and their guests, representatives of religious denominations during masses, speakers in closed or open spaces will be exempted from this measure, provided that the distance of 3 meters between people is observed. Nearly 5,000 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection have been reported in the past 24 hours, as well as 30 related deaths, 6 from the previous reporting period, the Strategic Communication Group has announced today. Nearly 8 million people have been fully vaccinated, which is a little over 40% of the eligible population.

Pandemic.
The fifth wave of the
pandemic caused by the Omicron is getting bigger, with new case records
worldwide. After the United States, which reported more than a million cases,
significant increases were also reported in Europe. France is approaching
300,000 infections a day, and authorities are announcing tough restrictions on the
unvaccinated people, who will be virtually unable to go anywhere as of January
15th. In the UK, labor market problems, already pre-existing due to Brexit, are
being exacerbated by the pandemic. Key sectors are affected, and the government
has even called on retired teachers to return temporarily to the system after
the UK exceeded 200,000 infections. Cases have also multiplied in Italy and
Greece. According to an Israeli study, a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine
increases the total number of antibodies five times a week after the inoculation.
Israel is already administering the
fourth dose of Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine to people over 60, health care workers
and immunocompromised patients.

Government.
The Romanian
Government gathers today to discuss the implementation of the National Recovery
and Resilience Plan. The members of the executive will also be informed on the
degree of absorption of cohesion funds related to the multiannual financial
frameworks 2014 – 2020, and 2021-2027. Also, the appendix to Government
Decision of 2008 on the list of international names corresponding to medicines
covered by insured persons with or without a personal contribution on the basis
of a prescription in the social health insurance system or granted under
national health programs will be amended. The cabinet will also approve a series
of decisions, including the one on medicines for the insured or the one related
to the agreement concluded by the governments of Romania and the Republic of
Moldova, which regulates the construction of aqueducts.

EU
diplomacy. The head of European
diplomacy, Josep Borrell, has arrived in Ukraine today to show EU support for
the Kiev authorities, at a time of maximum tension with neighboring Russia,
AFP reports. For several weeks now, Moscow has been accused of deploying troops
at Ukraine’s eastern border for a potential offensive. Russia has denied any
wrongdoing and denounced NATO’s provocations. Accompanied by the Ukrainian Foreign Minister
Dmitro Kuleba, Josep Borrell will first travel to the east of the country, on
the ‘line of contact’ with the pro-Russian separatists with whom Kiev has been
at war since 2014. This conflict, which broke out after the annexation of the
Crimean Peninsula by Russia, has killed more than 13,000 people. Josep Borrell
will then go to Kiev. This is the first visit by a head of European diplomacy
to the front line since the start of the war in eastern Ukraine. Diplomatic
efforts to defuse the Ukrainian crisis have intensified in recent weeks,
especially through a telephone conversation between Russian President Vladimir
Putin and US President Joe Biden in late December. Russia and the United States
have scheduled talks on Ukraine for January 9 and 10 in Geneva, followed by a
NATO-Russia meeting on January 12 and an OSCE meeting on January 13.

Tennis.
Romanian Simona Halep
(20 WTA) has defeated, today, the Australian Destanee Aiava (316 WTA) at the Melbourne
Summer Set 1 tournament. In the second round she will take on the Romanian Gabriela Ruse, who got an easy victory, on Tuesday, 6-3, 6-2 against the local
player Arina Rodionova (152 WTA). Also today, the Romanian Irina Begu and the Serbian Nina Stojanovic have qualified for the quarters of Melbourne Set 2 – WTA 250, where they will play against the pair made up of Aliona Bolsova (Spain) and Katarzyna Kawa (Poland). The
two preparatory tournaments are taking place ahead of the Australian Open
(January 17-30). (MI)