July 14, 2020

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 14.07.2020, 13:55

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – Another 637 new
infections were reported on Tuesday by the Group for Strategic Communication,
taking the total number of corona infections to 33.585. 234 patients are in
intensive care. 23.798 people have recovered. 30 people have died in the last
24 hours to COVID-19, taking the death toll to 1.931. Health Minister Nelu
Tataru said extending the state of alert beyond July 15 is very possible,
adding that, should the legislation allow it, the authorities might place
certain areas of the country in quarantine.

COVID-19 IN THE WORLD – Over 13.2 million people
have been infected with COVID-19 around the world. Of these, 7.7 people have
recovered and over 575.000 have died. The United States is the most affected
country in the world, with over 135.000 deaths and some 3.3 million confirmed
cases. The list continues with Brazil, the United Kingdom, Mexico and Italy.
Countries around the world are reintroducing restrictive measures to keep the
pandemic in check. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Italy, this
country is preparing to extend by another three months the state of emergency instated
at the end of January. Additionally, the authorities in Italy will extend the
list of countries with a high risk of contamination and with which Italy has
severed air links.

RESTRICTIONS – Belgium has put Romania
on the orange list of states that require special COVID-19 measures. As of
Wednesday new regulations will be introduced on the Hungarian border as well.
People crossing from Romania will undergo medical exams, and if no suspicion is
reported they may enter Hungary, but will have to spend 14 days in isolation or
quarantine, with the exception of citizens presenting two negative results for
corona testing. Also on Wednesday, Romanians headed to Greece by car must
provide on the Pomachonas border proof of a negative test result for SARS CoV2,
no older than 72 hours. The test must be in English. Starting Thursday, Austria
will ban flights to 18 states, including Romania, under a decree issued by the
Health Minister Rudolf Anschober. According to APA news agency, exempted to
this rule are charter flights carrying merchandise, sick people, repatriated
Austrian nationals, medical staff or agriculture workers. Some 20 European
states have imposed travel restrictions for Romanians.

INITIATIVE – The citizens’
initiative banning people convicted in court from holding public office has
been adopted today in the Chamber of Deputies. Once adopted, a referendum must
be held, the validation of which requires a minimum voter turnout and a
majority of votes in favor.

BILL – The Senate’s judicial committee is
today resuming its debate on the Government’s draft law on quarantine and
isolation. Considering the social and political controversy surrounding the
bill, no date has been made public as to a possible final vote on the bill.
Meanwhile, the Social-Democrat opposition claims the bill leaves room for
abuse, while the Power says a delay in voting the bill could lead to a dramatic
increase in the number of infections. We recall the Government passed the bill
after the Constitutional Court ruled that home isolation, quarantine and
hospitalization are unconstitutional in the absence of a clear legal framework,
and even those people infected with COVID-19 cannot be subjected to the said
measures only on the base of a Ministry decree. On Thursday, the Chamber of
Deputies adopted the bill in a heavily modified form compared to the original.
The debate in the Senate is eyeing fundamental rights and liberties in the
context of a high epidemiological risk.

MOTION – The Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest
has passed today a simple motion against Liberal Development Minister Ion
Stefan, whom the Social-Democrat opposition accuses of incompetence and forgery
of public deeds. The Social-Democrats have pointed to integrity issues related
to Stefan’s financial statements and his controversial cuts in the Development
Ministry’s anticorruption personnel and resources. In turn, Minister Stefan
says the motion is libelous and insulting. The vote is scheduled for next week.
Parliament has previously passed other simple motions against Liberal
ministers, which bear no effects in their dismissal from office.

JULY 14 – The National Day of France is
celebrated today. In Paris, instead of the traditional military parade, an air
show will be staged, in addition to a march of land troops without public participation
and with a limited list of attending officials and guests. This year the
celebration is devoted to the medical staff in the first line of defense
against the coronavirus, the army and military firefighters involved in the
transport and care of people infected with COVID-19, as well as those to providing
key services during the lockdown. The Paris City Hall has decided to hold the
fireworks show at the Eiffel Tower later this evening, with zero public
participation. The events will be broadcast online and on TV. In Bucharest,
Prime Minister Ludovic Orban has expressed the willingness of his Cabinet to
consolidate the French-Romanian Strategic Partnership. In turn, French
Ambassador to Bucharest, Michele Ramis, said bilateral relations between the
two states are excellent.

(Translated by V. Palcu)