July 13, 2020

Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 13.07.2020, 13:55

BILL A bill
regulating the quarantine and self-isolation in situations of epidemiological
risk is now being debated upon by the decision-making Senate in Bucharest. The
aforementioned bill has been endorsed by the government after the
Constitutional Court in Bucharest ruled that self-isolation, quarantine and
hospitalisation could not be imposed under a ministerial decision but under a
law clearly regulating the issue. On Thursday night the Chamber of Deputies
endorsed the document, which contained a lot of amendments than the Executive’s
version. However, debates upon the aforementioned law in the legal committee were
stopped in their tracks a couple of days ago by a request from the Senate’s
interim president, Social-Democrat Robert Cazanciuc, who called for a viewpoint
from the Liberal government and the Ministry of Justice concerning the
mandatory hospitalisation of the infected persons and the physicians’
deployment. The country’s Prime Minister Ludovic Orban has described the
document as indispensable adding that postponing the Senate debates on the
aforementioned bill is tantamount to a dramatic increase in the number of
infections. According to Orban, the government’s objective is no further
restrictions, but he has also cautioned against the worrying number of
infections. On Sunday night scores of people protested in front of the
government’s building in Bucharest against the bill on quarantine and
self-isolation.

COVID – 19 Authorities in Romania have reported another 413 new Covid infections
bringing the total number close to 33, 000 since the beginning of the
pandemic. 21,692 out of
those who confirmed positive have been cured and left hospitals. 235 patients are in intensive care units while the death
toll stands at 1,901. The number of Romanians abroad confirmed infected
stands at 5,105,and the number of fatalities at 122.

FENCING The International Fencing Federation has designated Romanian Ana
Maria Popescu winner of the Women’s Epee Cup this year as many competitions
could not be staged because of the Covid pandemic. The Romanian has been
followed by Brazilian Nathalie Moellhausen and Sun Yiwen of China. Ana Maria
has won the competition three times in the seasons of 2007-2008, 2008-2009 and
2012-2013.

TALKS Brussels is today seeing the seventh round of talks for a
post-Brexit trade agreement. Chief negotiators David Frost of Britain and
Michel Barnier of the EU have agreed to step up negotiations but have also agreed
that the two sides are facing major issues such as competition. According to
Radio Romania correspondent in London, the EU negotiator has said that his team
will be carrying on talks with their British counterparts with patience,
respect and determination but has cautioned against the inevitable changes in
the relations between the two sides as of January 1st.

RESTRICTIONS Authorities in Lithuania have banned the Romanians’
access to this country due to the raising number of Covid-19 infections
reported in Romania. Authorities in Vilnius are assessing the decision on a
weekly basis though. Lithuania isn’t the only European country imposing
restrictions to Romanian citizens. Greece is also asking tourists to produce a
negative Covid test taken in the past 72 hours at the border whereas Austria requires
Covid tests not older than 4 days. Other European countries like Finland, Malta,
Slovakia, Estonia, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Hungary have resorted
to other measures such as quarantine or self-isolation. Romanians have so far been
imposed travel restrictions in 20 European countries

(translated by bill)