November 28, 2020 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 28.11.2020, 20:00

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – Another
8,134 SARS-CoV-2 infections and 161 related deaths were reported in the last 24
hours in Romania, the Group for Strategic Communication announced on Saturday.
465, 982 people have been infected with COVID-19 since the start of the
pandemic, while 11,045 people have died to the virus. Most infections were
reported in Bucharest, Constanța, Cluj, Ilfov and Iași. Over 70% of infected
people have recovered. 1,249 people are currently in intensive care. 6,914 Romanians
living abroad have tested positive for COVID-19, 127 of them have died.

COVID-19 IN THE WORLD – More
and more countries around the world are preparing their national strategies for
anti-COVID-19 vaccination. The United States and the European Union hope to
start the vaccination campaign in December. The first vaccines to be
administered will be those produced by Pfizer and BioNTech and Moderna. So far
Pfizer and BioNTech announced a 95% efficiency rate for their vaccine, Moderna
says its vaccine has a 94.5% efficiency while the Russian Sputnik V vaccine is
rated with a 91.4% efficiency. The AstraZeneca British vaccine is the cheapest
and doesn’t require cold storage, although additional tests are still needed.
China also claims its Sinopharm vaccine works, with zero infection cases
reported for 1 million people who’ve taken the vaccine, which is still in an
experimental phase.

UNION – Restricted ceremonies on
Saturday marked 102 years since the completion of the historic process of
Bukovina’s union with Romania. The event prefaced the Union with Romania on
December 1, 1918, of not just Transylvania, but also Banat, Maramureş and
Crişana,
which had also been part of the Habsburg Empire. Previously, in March 1918,
Bessarabia, another Romanian province, had united with the mother-country. Preparations
are underway in Romania to organize the military parades celebrating December
1, the National Day of Romania. In Bucharest, the traditional parade will be
held without public attendance in a restricted format, due to the coronavirus
pandemic. The National Day will be celebrated abroad by means of online events
organized by Romania’s embassies or by branches of the Romanian Cultural
Institute.

MOLDOVA – Authorities have
declared a state of emergency in the Republic of Moldova, in place until
January 15, 2021. All nightclubs have been closed, while restaurants, bars and coffee
shops will close before 10 PM. Colloquiums and sports competitions with
physical attendance have been banned. Theatres, cinemas and concert halls have
also shut down. Public and private institutions will have to introduce special
working hours, with the physical presence of only those workers who cannot work
from home. According to our correspondent on the ground, restrictions were previously
introduced in the Republic of Moldova, although they were not fully observed,
not even by the authorities. Socialist Prime Minister Ion Chicu organized his
son’s wedding party, while in the campaign for the presidential election, the
acting President, Igor Dodon, held a rally with hundreds of participants.

CAMPAIGN – The campaign for the
legislative election due on December 6 continues in Romania. As in the case of
the local election, held on September 27, the authorities have limited the
number of participants to election rallies and introduced strict health safety
regulations. Citizens will be able to cast their votes in all polling stations
on election day, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban has said, adding that citizens
infected with COVID-19, currently in quarantine or isolation, will be able to
vote with the help of the mobile ballot box. More and more towns and villages
across Romania are entering quarantine against the growing infection rate.
Romanians living abroad will be able to vote on December 5 and the 6. Representing
the Romanian Diaspora will be four deputies and two senators.

VACCINATION – The Government decree
on the vaccination strategy was adopted in Friday’s Government session. The
first to be immunized will be employees working in healthcare, social
assistance, people in at-risk categories and key personnel, Ionel Dancă, the
head of the Prime Minister’s Office, told a press briefing. The Government also
decided to increase the bonus of medical and auxiliary personnel directly
dealing with COVID-19 patients up to 85% of their base salary. The Government
also debated a draft law providing financial assistance to companies in the
hospitality industry. One measure provides for a grant covering losses incurred
in 2020 up to 20% of last year’s turnover.

HANDBALL – Romania’s women’s
handball team are preparing for the European Championship hosted by Denmark
between December 3 and 20. Romania is playing in Group D in the final
tournament, alongside Norway, Germany and Poland, with the games taking place
in the town of Kolding. Denmark is the sole host of the tournament after the
second designated host, neighboring Norway, pulled out. On November 16, only 17
days before the first game was due, Oslo announced that healthcare constraints
related to the COVID-19 pandemic prevent it from organizing the competition.
(V. Palcu)