July 12, 2021 UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news.

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Newsroom, 12.07.2021, 20:00

Pandemic
Romania. Romania extended the Covid-19 state of alert for a further 30 days from
Monday. Under new provisions, those who have recovered from the infection are
exempt from certain restrictions for 180 days from the date of their test
result, instead of 90 previously. They will be able to attend outdoor sports
events, performances, concerts and cultural events and indoor private events
such as wedding and baptism receptions. On Monday, Romania saw 39 new Covid
cases and 2 new related fatalities. 55 Covid patients are in intensive care.
Since the vaccine rollout kicked off in Romania in late December, 4,630,000
people have been fully vaccinated in this country.

Pandemic world. Malta’s decision to close its
borders to unvaccinated travellers is contrary to European rules, said the
French minister for European affairs Clément
Beaune, who called on Malta to use the European health pass. Malta said that a
PCR test would no longer be enough from 14th July, amid rising Covid
cases. In Europe, Russia, the UK and The Netherlands at the weekend recorded
higher numbers of new Covid infections. In Paris, the government is looking for
ways to step up vaccination amid fears of the spread of Delta strain.

Rep. Moldova. Authorities
in Bucharest welcomed the victory of the Action and Solidarity Party founded by
president Maia Sandu in Sunday’s early parliamentary election in the Republic
of Moldova. Romanian president Klaus Iohannis congratulated the Moldovan
citizens for their community spirit and choosing the path of reforms, the rule
of law and European integration and promised that Romania would stand by Moldova
and support its European ambitions. Prime Minister Florin Cîţu also hailed
the election results and
conveyed his support for the reforms initiated by Moldova. The Romanian foreign
minister welcomed the victory of the pro-European and pro-reformist forces and
voiced hope that a government would be formed as soon as possible that will
embrace a pro-European approach. Romanian MEPs and NATO deputy secretary
general, the former Romanian foreign minister Mircea Geoană, also hailed the
victory of the Action and Solidarity Party in Sunday’s elections. The latter
won almost 53% of the votes, the
Electoral Bloc of Communists and Socialists over 28%, and Şor Party got some 6%
of the votes. These are the only political groups to make it to Parliament.

Festival. Dozens of local and
international acts are on this year’s line-up of the Electric Castle Festival
which will be held in Cluj-Napoca and Bonţida, in the north-west of Romania,
between 6th and 15th August. Some of the highlights are
Elena Mîndru and the Cluj Opera Orchestra with a performance that mixes jazz
with hip hop and symphonic music, The Blaze DJ set, a French duo with a
spectacular success on the electronic music scene, Asaf Avidan, a well-known
Israeli singer and songwriter, and Norwegian pop music sensation Aurora, to
name but a few.

Tennis. Romanian tennis player Simona Halep dropped six places in the WTA ranking to 9th position, after she was unable to defend her Wimbledon title. This year’s winner Ashleigh Barty has kept her number one ranking. Other Romanian players in top 100 are Sorana Cîrstea, at no. 37, Patricia Ţig, at no. 65, and Ana Bogdan, at no. 98. (CM)