July 9, 2021

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 09.07.2021, 13:55

COVID-19 ROMANIA – The Government has extended the state of alert for another
30 days, starting July 12. Pre-emptive and control measures remain in place,
with a few modifications, the most important of which is the extension from 90
to 180 days of the period of exemption from these measures for those people
who’ve had the disease. On the other hand, the head of the vaccination
campaign, medical doctor Valeriu Gheorghiţă, warned that, starting next month,
Romania could face a resurge in the number of COVID infections due to the new
Delta strain, calling again on the population to get the jab. Since the start
of the vaccination campaign, nearly 4.8 million people have received the COVID
vaccine, of whom 4.6 million have completed the full vaccination scheme. In the
last 24 hours, 54 new infections have been reported in addition to 1 related death.
58 patients are in intensive care.

3SI – Romania remains firmly
committed in the Three Seas Initiative by means of pragmatic actions,
supporting clear-cut solutions to curb delays and consolidating resilience in
the region, president Klaus Iohannis said on the sidelines of the Three Seas
Initiative (3SI) summit in Bulgaria, bringing together 12 EU Member States from
the Baltic, Adriatic and Black seas. The president referred to the special
attention Romania pays to the Rail-2-Sea and Via Carpathia projects,
describing them as concrete initiatives of major economic consequence and real
strategic value for the region. Developing the parliamentary, local and
regional components of 3SI, in addition to inter-government cooperation, is
most welcome. The ultimate goal of all these efforts remains the thorough implementation
of interconnection projects of strategic priority in three key areas -
transport, energy and digitization, president Iohannis said. The Romanian head
of state also recalled the inauguration on May 31 of the Euro-Atlantic
Resilience Center in Bucharest, which will help fulfill the strategic goal of
building resilience. Against this backdrop, the growing interest of an
increasing number of states in the trans-Atlantic community for the
Initiative’s activities comes as no surprise, and Romania welcomes and supports
it, president Iohannis went on to say.

EXPLOSION – The blast at AzoMureş Chemical Plant in Târgu Mureş, which slightly
injured one person, could not be prevented, according to a preliminary report
of the investigation. A mixed commission is investigating the circumstances of
the incident. The authorities gave assurances that the blast did not put the
population in danger, as air quality measurements have detected no ammoniac
emissions. According to preliminary reports, a crack in one of the gas pipes
triggered the explosion and the ensuing fire. The last technical checkup was
performed in 2013, and the pipe was due to undergo an inspection in 2022.

REAGENTS – A large number of lab tests carried out in
recent years in Romania could be inaccurate, after state and privately-run
pathology labs used non-compliant reagents. The Prosecutor’s Office with the
Bucharest Tribunal has launched an investigation, which has so far revealed
that, starting 2017, representatives of a company trading reagents and medical
equipment deliberately misinformed its trade partners over the quality of its
products. The company owned, produced and sold toxic products and chemicals
used in the medical sector, without being licensed to carry out such
activities. Nearly 20 searches were made in Bucharest and three counties as
part of the investigation. The company faces possible charges of racketeering
and illegal use of toxic chemicals for medical use.

FITS – The International Theatre Festival in Sibiu (FITS),
one of the most acclaimed festivals in the world devoted to performing arts,
will take place over August 20-29. Over 600 events organized by artists from 37
countries across all continents will be presented to the public as part of the
most complex edition held so far, organizers say. Themed Building hope
together, this year’s festival will unfold with physical attendance, in hybrid
format and online. Organizers have prepared theatre plays, dance performances,
circus shows, film screenings, musicals, opera concerts, book launches,
conferences, exhibitions, music concerts and street performances. Israel Galván Company, Charlotte
Rampling, Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company, María
Pagés Compańía are but some of the big names and foreign companies taking parts
in FITS 2021.

OLYMPICS – Postponed a year ago
due to the COVID pandemic, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in Japan will go down in
history as the first Olympic competition to take place without crowd
attendance. The measure follows after the Japanese Government declared a state
of emergency until August 22. The Olympic Games start on July 23 and end on
August 8. A little over 15% of Japan’s population has been immunized so far,
although experts fear the Delta strain might trigger a new wave that could add
further strain on hospitals. The Olympic torch arrived today in Tokyo as part
of a restricted ceremony hosted on an empty stadium, and was handed over to the
Governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike. (VP)