July 12, 2020 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 12.07.2020, 19:13

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – The Senate in Bucharest next week will
debate and vote on a controversial draft law submitted by the Liberal
Government. On Thursday, the Chamber of Deputies passed the law in a heavily
modified form compared to the original. While the power claims it needs
leverage to counteract the effects of the pandemic, the opposition says the law
infringes on citizens’ rights and liberties. Interim Senate Speaker
Social-Democrat Robert Cazanciuc said the bill will pass only if it answers
Romanians’ needs. He recalled that opinions have been asked from the Justice
Ministry and the Superior Council of Magistracy, and the Government also needs
to provide arguments that observe European practice in the field of compulsory
hospitalization and the mandatory posting of medical staff. We recall the bill
on quarantine and isolation was passed by the Government and submitted to
Parliament after the Constitutional Court ruled that home isolation, quarantine
and hospitalization cannot be imposed by Ministry decree, as the case has been
so far. Constitutional Court judges believe refstrictions should be based on a
clear legal framework. Hundreds of people protested on Sunday against the
authorities’ handling of the health crisis, as well as against the bill on
isolation and quarantine. Some 32.500 cases have been reported in Romania,
23.400 people have recovered. The death toll stands at 1.884. 5.104 Romanians
have tested positive for SARS CoV2 abroad and 122 have died.

RESTRICTIONS – Starting
Wednesday next week Hungary will impose new border crossing restrictions to
prevent the spread of the virus, in the wake of a resurge in the number of
infections in several countries. Arrivals from yellow areas, including
Romania, will be submitted to medical checks at the border and enter quarantine
for 14 days, while anyone coming from red countries will be denied access.
Entry into Hungary will be allowed only to citizens presenting two negative
tests for COVID-19, carried out in the last five days. The tests need to be 48
hours apart, and the medical certificates must be presented in Hungarian or
English. Greek authorities have suspended until Tuesday the electronic platform
for traveller registration, ahead of changing border crossing regulations for
land entries. As of Wednesday morning, Romanian tourists will have to provide
proof of a negative test against COVID-19, no older than 72 hours. The
documentation must be in English and contain the traveller’s identification
data. The Romanian Foreign Ministry recalls this test does not exclude the
obligation of completing the online form or being subject to random testing at
the border. Prime Minister Ludovic Orban has called on the 120 centers doing
corona testing in the country to take priority in testing tourists with planned
holidays in Greece. On social media many Romanians have already announced their
readiness to give up their holidays, mostly due to the expenses associated with
voluntary testing. Other EU countries have announced restrictions for Romanian
citizens. People with holiday plans in Austria need documents proving they
tested negative for SARS CoV2, which must be no older than 4 days at the time
of entry. The document needs to be translated into German and English and be
accompanied by proof of accommodation in this country. Anyone failing to
provide the said documentation will be placed in isolation for 14 days. As of
Monday, Lithuania will deny access to Romanians, with the exception of people
on transit to Romania.

MIGRANTS – Two Serbian
nationals, who helped 13 Syrians illegally cross into Romania, were picked up
on Saturday night by the Romanian border police and are now being investigated
for migrant trafficking. The Syrian citizens, nine men and four women, are aged
17-30. The Serbian drivers were planning on taking them to Western Europe in
exchange for €900. The Romanian Border Police has advised citizens against
transporting unknown people in border areas and to notify the authorities
whenever they are presented with such requests.

TENNIS – Tennis
player Simona Halep, world no. 2 has confirmed her participation in the WTA
tournament in Palermo, Italy, the first in the WTA circuit after the long
hiatus caused by the coronacrisis. In a video posted on social media, she said
she would take part in the competition in Sicily, which will be played on clay
court over August 3-9. Halep played her last match in February, in the final of
the tournament in Dubai, which she won against Elena Rybakina of Khazakstan.
Oliveiro Palma, the director of the tournament in Palermo, said Halep’s
participation is exceptional news, it had been decades since Palermo last
hosted a former No.1.

(Translated by V. Palcu)