January 9, 2021

Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 09.01.2021, 13:55

SCHOOL The National Committee
for Emergency Situations in Romania decided to extend the online education
process until February 7th. The suspension of activities involving
the physical presence of preschoolers and students in schools and other
education facilities comes right after the winter holiday. Education Minister
Sorin Campeanu had earlier specified that students could return to schools
starting February 8th. At a meeting with trade unions in the field,
representatives of parents and students’ associations, Campeanu said that it
all depends on the evolution of the pandemic adding that schools are going to
open differently taking into account the infection rate in the region. The
opposition PSD and AUR as well as the ruling UDMR are favoring the reopening of
schools, which they believe can be done next week.

REPATRIATION The Romanian sailor kidnapped from the Agisilaos ship off the
shores of Togo has been released and is to be repatriated in the following
days, the Foreign Ministry in Bucharest has announced today. According to the
same sources, in order to settle the incident, the Crisis Management Cell set
up on this occasion, has made a lot of efforts, which involved the company
which hired the Romanian and other international partners. On November 30th
2020, sources with the Foreign Ministry in Bucharest announced that Minister
Aurescu had summoned an inter-institutional crisis management cell to address
the incident in Togo involving the Agisilaos, where several sailors, including
a Romanian citizen, had been kidnapped.

DECISION The government in Bucharest is expected to pass an emergency
ordinance to grant additional sums of money to the medical personnel involved
in the anti-Covid National Vaccination Campaign. Under the draft, physicians
are to receive 20 Euros per hour and nurses 10, Health Minister Vlad Voiculescu
said. Family physicians are also going to get more money as they are considered
an essential pillar in the immunization campaign. Roughly 100 thousand people
have been immunized since the onset of the campaign; out of these only 314
reported minor side effects. Romania has so far received nearly 300 thousand
doses and 120 thousand of these doses have been directed to vaccination points.
Roughly 5,000 fresh Covid infections were reported on Friday, most of them in
capital Bucharest. The death toll exceeds 16,500 and 11 hundred are in
intensive care.

HANDBALL Romania’s vice-champions in
women’s handball, CSM Bucharest are in Budapest to take on local side
Ferencvaros Budapest in their first match counting towards the Champions League
Group A. The first game went to the Romanians 25-19. CSM ranks second in the
group with 11 points whereas Ferencvaros comes fourth with 8. On Sunday in the
Champions League’s Group B, Romanian champions, SCM Ramnicu Valcea are taking
on another Hungarian side, Gyor in a home match. The Romanians are last in
their group with no point out of 5 games played. Two other Romanian sides are
making their debut in the European League: Minaur Baia Mare takes on Norwegian
side Storhamar Handball Elite, while Dunarea Braila are up against French side
Fleury Loiret on Sunday.

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