June 14, 2020 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

România Internațional, 14.06.2020, 19:13

Covid-19 RO. As of June 15th,
Romanians arriving from 17 European countries will no longer be quarantined or
self-isolated, and flights to an from those countries will resume, the National
Committee for Emergency Situations has decided. These countries are Austria,
Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Croatia, Switzerland, Germany, Greece,
Iceland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia
and Hungary. The list will be updated every Monday, in keeping with the
epidemiological situation. Also on Monday, a new stage of relaxation of the
restrictions imposed to limit the spread of the new coronavirus begins in
Romania. The malls will be reopened, except for the restaurants, cinemas and
playgrounds inside. Also, gyms and outdoor swimming pools will start to
function, as will the Romanian Lottery, sports betting and gambling
facilities. Nurseries and after-school units might also be reopened, during the
summer holidays. Prime Minister Ludovic Orban has stated, however, that he will
ask for the extension of the state of alert by 30 days, saying that the
decision is not political, but scientifically grounded, having public health
considerations behind it. The most recent report of the Strategic Coordination
Group indicates 320 new cases of contamination with the new coronavirus, the
most since the state of alert was declared on May 15th, which gradually brought
about a string of measures to relax the restrictions. The number of people who
have died of Covid-19 in Romania has reached 1420.

Evaluation. Starting Monday, more than 172,000 pupils who have
just finished the 8th grade will sit for the National Evaluation
Examination, which is mandatory for admission to high-school. Because of the
Covid-19 pandemic, this year special measures have been taken. Medical staff
will do a triage and children will be checked for temperature. Also, all class
rooms in which the children will take the exams will be disinfected. A 2-meter
distance between two children will be observed and those who are found to
present symptoms will take the exam in keeping with a special procedure,
between the 22nd of June and the 4th of July.

Diplomacy. 140 years after their
establishment, the diplomatic ties between Romania and the United States of
America are stronger than ever, president Klaus Iohannis says in a message
conveyed on Sunday. According to the Romanian head of state, to Romania,
the US has proven, especially in the past two decades, that it is the firm ally
we need in important moments, thus constantly accompanying us on the path
chosen by our country to strengthen its citizens’ security and
prosperity. In turn, president Iohannis also states, Romania has
outlined its profile as a reliable partner and active NATO ally, which assumes
strong commitments and contributes to joint security together with the US,
through consistent participation in missions such as the one in Afghanistan, or
by consolidating defense on the eastern flank of the Alliance. The
upward trajectory of our bilateral relations is highlighted by our Strategic
Partnership for the 21st Century, an essential dimension of Romania’s foreign
policy, which provides broad prospects of cooperation in a wide range of fields
– politics, security, economy, research, technology, science and education, as
well as interpersonal contacts, the Romanian president’s message also
reads. Also, in a press release on Sunday, the US Ambassador to Romania, Adrian
Zuckerman said: Romania is one of the United States’
closest military and economic allies in Europe. The Romanian people have no
greater friend than the American people, and on their behalf and on behalf of
President Trump, thank you, Romania, for the 140 years of friendship, and
cooperation, and to many more years to come.

EU. On Monday, the
Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu will attend the internal meeting of
the EU foreign ministers, held via video-conference. The main topic on the
agenda is transatlantic relations. The participants will have a talk with the
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the importance of the partnership between
the EU and the US against the background of the Covid-19 pandemic. Another
issue to be discussed is the relation with China, with the aim of enhancing
dialogue and cooperation at this level. Also under discussion will be the
Middle East peace process and the eastern neighborhood of the EU, with focus on
Ukraine. Bogdan Aurescu will convey a message of unity and pragmatism and will
stress the importance of strengthening transatlantic ties. He will also speak
for the need of maintaining a solid American presence in the areas affected by
lasting conflicts, in particular in the Eastern Neighborhood.

Pandemic. Close to 7.9
million people have been infected with the new coronavirus around the world,
and 433 thousand have died. More than 4 million people have recovered. The
United States, the world’s largest economic power, is by far the country most
severely affected by the pandemic, both in terms of deaths – over 115,000 and
the number of diagnosed cases – about 2,100,000 in total until Saturday night.
The number of new infections is still hovering around an average of 20,000, and
the US is struggling to get out of this area as infections have moved from one
part of the country to another. President Donald Trump’s administration has
warned, on the other hand, that any new economic lock-down in the event of a
second wave is ruled out. The second most affected country remains Brazil,
where more than 850,000 people have been infected, and the death toll is close
to 43,000. On the other hand, China hs announced today 57 new confirmed cases
of COVID-19 – the highest daily number since April, which raises fears of a
second epidemiological wave in the country. France Presse reports that a new
source of contamination was detected in southern Beijing, in a market that
sells mainly meat, fish and vegetables, and the discovery led to the isolation
of 11 residential areas in the vicinity. In Europe, the number of SARS-CoV-2
infections continues to drop, and since Monday, several European countries have
been relaxing border restrictions.

Weather. The National
Weather Administration has extended the code orange alert for torrential rain,
thunder and hail storms to 36 out of Romania’s 41 counties. The code is valid
until Monday evening. Also, a code yellow for bad weather is in place in five
counties in the south, including in Bucharest. Weather will remain unstable
across Romania the entire week. In the past days, weather has been marked by
rains and storms, causing damage in several areas. Also, a 4-year-old child,
caught in a flood, died. (M.Ignatescu)