October 5, 2020
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 05.10.2020, 13:55
COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – 1,591 new cases of COVID-19 and
45 new fatalities have been reported nationwide in the last 24 hours, the Group
for Strategic Communication has announced today. The total number of infections
stands at 137,491, while the death toll stands at 5,048. 108,526 patients have
recovered. There are currently 592 people in intensive care. 6,702 Romanians living
abroad have tested positive for SARS CoV-2, while 126 have died. Most of these
cases have been reported in Germany, Italy and Spain. The negative evolution of
the COVID-19 pandemic in recent days does not require the reintroduction of the
state of emergency, authorities say, insisting however on the importance of
basic health safety measures, such as the wearing of face masks, observing
physical distance and rigorous hand hygiene. The head of the Department for
Emergency Situations, Raed Arafat, warned that harsher restrictions might be
introduced in those areas where the infection rate has gone up significantly.
COVID-19 IN THE WORLD – The global number of infections has
exceeded 35 million while over 1 million people have died to the virus, the
latest worldometers.info update reads. The United States continues to be the
most affect country. New evidence has surfaced pointing to the existence of a
new wave of infections in Europe, where record high numbers were reported in an
increasing number of countries in the last few days. The Czech Republic and
Slovakia have reintroduced the state of emergency starting today. For the first
time the United Kingdom reported over 10,000 cases in a single day. A third of
the UK is under new regulations banning social interaction between people from
different homes. Over 50 universities in this country have been declared
hotbeds of infection. Poland too has confirmed over 100,000 cases since the
start of the pandemic, reporting over 2,000 infections in the last 24 hours. In
Russia there are over 10,000 cases reported in the last day, the highest report
in the last 5 months. France too is reporting concerning figures. A health
alert has been declared in Paris and another 3 neighboring districts.
PRIME MINISTER – On Monday Prime Minister Ludovic Orban asked
he be tested against COVID-19, after one of the people he came in contact with
on a TV shooting set last week tested positive for the virus, the Government
has announced. According to the source, the Prime Minister has suspended all
his meetings pending the release of the medical certificate.
ELECTION – The investigation of fraud allegations in the
local election and the elimination of taxes for three years in the hospitality
industry rank high on Parliament’s agenda this week. Another topic under debate
is the proposed postponement of the legislative election for March 14, 2021.
The set date for the legislative election is December 6. Unaffiliated MP Adrian
Dohotaru, who filed the said proposal, claims the legislative election should
be postponed due to the alarming increase in the number of SARS-CoV-2
infections in Romania and the rising pressure on the health care system.
NOBEL PRIZE IN MEDICINE-
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2020 has been awarded jointly to
researchers Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice for the
discovery of Hepatitis C virus. The recipients of the Nobel Prize for
physics, chemistry, literature and peace will also be announced this week. The
winner of the Nobel Prize for Economy will be made public on October 12. With
the latter’s exception, the other Nobel Prizes were created by the Swedish
industrialist Alfred Nobel (1833-1896), the inventor of the dynamite. In 2020,
each Nobel Prize will be accompanied by a $1.1 million check, which is more
than in previous years. In 2019 the Nobel Prize for Medicine was awarded to
American researchers William Kaelin and Gregg Semenza and to British researcher
Peter Ratcliffe for their study on how cells sense and adapt to oxygen
availability. The Nobel Awards organizers have announced that, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, the prize recipients will most likely receive their awards
in their home countries, without having to attend the awards ceremony in Stockholm.
TENNIS -
Romania is no longer represented in this year’s Roland Garros competition. On
Sunday, Horia Tecau of Romania and Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands lost to
Mate Pavic of Croatia and Bruno Soares of Brazil in the round of 16 in the
men’s doubles. Also on Sunday, the number 1 seed in the women’s singles, Simona
Halep, was also ousted by Polish player Iga Swiatek.
(translated
by V. Palcu)
