November 17, 2020 UPDATE

A news update

Newsroom, 17.11.2020, 20:05

Covid-19 Romania – A new high level meeting was held in Bucharest on Tuesday for assessing and presenting measures aimed at managing the COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting was attended by the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, the PM Ludovic Orban, ministers and officials from the healthcare domain. The PM reiterated one of the main objectives to be reached in a week’s time, namely to increase the number of beds in ICUs by more than 200. He added that the Health Ministry will be among the institutions that will benefit from additional funds upon the budget adjustment. In turn, the President Iohannis announced that the authorities started the organization per se for implementing the anti-Covid-19 vaccination strategy. He explained that the vaccination process will take place in stages, starting with certain groups of the population established according to epidemiological and medical criteria. The first stage includes the medical staff, the people in risk groups as well as the staff working in essential sectors such as education, national security, transports, energy, water and food supply. They also designated a coordinator of the vaccination campaign at national level — a military doctor specialized in infectious diseases. The authorities announced on Tuesday 8,262 new cases of Covid-19 from more than 31 thousand tests. With 186 new deaths reported on Tuesday, the total death toll went beyond 9,200, while the number of patients in ICUs stands at 1,174. Almost 70% of Romanians diagnosed with COVID-19 have recovered.

Fire – Investigators have completed inquiries into the fire that occurred on Saturday at the ICU of the Piatra Neamt County Hospital, treating Sars-Cov-2 patients. The criminal case concerns manslaughter and bodily harm offences, as 10 people died and 7 others were injured. Five of the victims could not be identified and DNA tests were required. Doctor Ioan Cătălin Denciu remains in a serious condition—he tested positive for COVID-19 prior to being transferred to Belgium, and the injuries are more severe than originally thought. The physician has 2nd degree burns on 75% of the body, which he suffered while trying to rescue the patients from the intensive care unit during the fire. The manager of the Piatra Neamţ Hospital has resigned. Joint teams from Public Health Directorates and the General Inspectorate for Emergencies have been conducting inspections, since Monday, in all intensive therapy units across the country, to check electrical installations and the state of medical equipment. The health minister Nelu Tătaru says many hospitals underwent rushed revamping in 2020, and now the authorities have to check whether safety rules were complied with.

Unions – Members of the SANITAS healthcare workers union Tuesday observed a moment’s silence for the victims of the Piatra Neamt hospital fire, in front of the Government headquarter. SANITAS had scheduled a rally for Tuesday, but the union decided to replace the protest with a commemoration of the victims and of the healthcare workers who lost their lives on the job. Unionists warn that the tragedy may occur again, anywhere in the country, because of the worn out equipment and overworked personnel. They call on civil society to put pressure on politicians to reform the Romanian public healthcare sector. SANITAS officials Monday submitted a list of demands to all county prefect offices.

Moldova – The Republic of Moldova’s ex-PM, the Pro-European Maia Sandu, is the first woman elected president of the country. In Sunday’s ballot she won 57.75% of the votes, according to the final data announced by the Electoral Committee in Chişinău. The incumbent president, pro-Russian Igor Dodon, who got 42%, announced however he was challenging the result. Maia Sandu’s priorities include ending corruption and public money theft and reforming the political class. The election result is a moral victory of pro-European forces which want genuine change, political commentators in Chisinau say. However, they warn that a tense period may follow, because Igor Dodon’s Socialists hold the largest number of seats in Parliament.

Gaudeamus – The 27th edition of the Gaudeamus Book Fair organised by Radio Romania since 1994, is taking place online until November 22nd. The event will end on Sunday and will take place exclusively online due to the new coronavirus pandemic. Attending the event are more than 100 companies, among which prestigious book publishers and distributors, music and educational games producers. Hundreds of events can be followed online on gaudeamus.ro, the website of the event, which this year is organised jointly with elefant.ro. Writer Norman Manea, nominated several times for the Nobel Prize for Literature, is the honorary president of this edition of the Gaudeamus book fair.

Migrants — 41 migrants from Syria, Iraq and Palestine, among whom 6 minors, were discovered on Tuesday by the Romanian border police at the Nadlac 2 border point (in the west). They were hidden in a freight train loaded with moving parts for mechanical equipment, operated by a Turkish citizen. The adults are aged between 18 and 44. The 41 migrants said they wanted to reach western European countries. The border police are investigating the case, and will press charges of migrant trafficking against the Turkish citizen and of illegal border crossing attempt against the foreign migrants. (tr. AM Popescu and L. Simion)