June 10, 2021 UPDATE
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 10.06.2021, 19:45
Covid-19. The coronavirus infection rate continues to
drop in Romania. Thursday saw 133 new cases, from almost 30,000 tests. 148
deaths in patients infected with Covid-19 were also reported, of which 124 date
from last year and earlier this year but were only now recorded in the data
base by the local Public Health Directorates at the request of the health
ministry, following further checks. 1,500 Covid patients are receiving hospital
treatment, including 256 in intensive care. Since the vaccine rollout kicked
off in Romania in late December, over 4.5 million people have been fully
vaccinated.
State of alert. The government has extended the state of
alert for a further thirty days from 12th June. Several restrictions
are also eased. The number of people allowed to attend private receptions indoors
has been expanded to 200 provided everyone is vaccinated, has a negative test
result or has recovered from the infection. According to the authorities, the
measures imposed during the state of alert will also apply to the stadiums hosting
the football matches as part of the 2020 European Football Championship. The
National Arena in Bucharest, which will host an eighth final match, will be
able to operate at 50% capacity.
Investment. Romanian
prime minister Florin Cîţu says the reported 10% rise
in net investments in the first quarter of the year published by the National
Institute for Statistics is an indicator showing investors’ and multinational
companies’ trust in his government. Investments create bigger production
capacity, which generates economic growth that benefits all Romanians, the
prime minister posted on Facebook. According to the National Institute for
Statistics, net investments in the Romanian economy in the first quarter
of the year amounted to some 4 billion euros, up 9.9% compared with the same
period last year. Almost 36% of these investments went to the building sector,
25% to industry, trade and services and 3.5% to agriculture.
Heroes Day. Religious services and military ceremonies were
held all over Romania on Thursday in memory of the military killed in action in
various wars involving the participation of Romania’s armed forces or in
missions carried out in theatres of operations. Under a law from 2003, the 40th
day after Easter, on the Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ, was proclaimed
Heroes Day and has been a national holiday in Romania ever since. Orthodox
Christians, who form Romania’s majority religious group, as well as the Greek Catholic,
celebrated the Ascension on Thursday.
Visit. Israel’s president Reuven Rivlin, who has been on
a trip to Romania ahead of the 73rd anniversary on 11th
June of uninterrupted diplomatic relations between the two countries, on
Thursday attended the commemoration of the seven soldiers, six from Israel and
one from Romania, who died in a helicopter crash in the Bucegi Mountains, in
southern Romania, in 2010. On the first two days of his visit, president Rivlin
held talks with his Romanian counterpart Klaus Iohannis, delivered a speech
before the Romanian Parliament and inaugurated the Romania-Israel Business Forum
together with prime minister Florin Cîţu.
Tennis.
The Romanian-Argentinean pair
Irina Begu and Nadia Podoroska will on Friday face Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the
USA and Iga Swiatek of Poland in the semis of the women’s doubles at Roland
Garros. In the quarter finals, Begu and Podoroska defeated Petra Martic of
Croatia and Shelby Rogers of the USA. Begu is the only Romanian player still in
competition at the French Open. (CM)
