11 May 2020, UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 11.05.2020, 20:00

Coronavirus Romania. Coronavirus
Romania. The death toll rose to 982 in Romania on Monday, while infections pass
15,500. More than 7,200 people have recovered. Among the Romanians living
abroad, over 2,750 have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, mostly in
Italy and Spain, and 100 of them have died since the start of the pandemic. In
other related news, Romania’s Liberal government on Monday sent a bill to
Parliament stipulating the measures to protect the population for the duration
of the state of alert, which comes into force on 15th May, when the
state of emergency ends. Also on Monday, the interior minister Marcel Vela said
flights to and from Spain are still suspended until 14th May and
that the southern town of Tandarei is no longer in quarantine.

Coronavirus world. Over four million confirmed
coronavirus cases have been reported worldwide, while almost 300,000 people
have died. The United States is still the worst hit country, with more than a
quarter of all infections and a third of all deaths. Experts warn that the real
number of infections is probably much higher because the testing rate is low in
many countries. The daily death toll continues to drop in some states, but
there are worries about a second wave of infections. In addition, governments
are bracing for economic decline, as the pandemic has affected global markets
and supply chains. Restrictions are meanwhile being eased in many European
countries, with some shops and primary schools reopening, while restaurants,
theatres and cinemas remaining closed. In Spain, restrictions are not being
lifted in big cities like Madrid and Barcelona which had high infection rates.

Motion. The Chamber of Deputies is discussing a simple motion tabled by
the Social Democrats in opposition, who demand the resignation of the finance
minister Florin Citu. They say that in the six months of government and during the
state of emergency no measure has been taken to avoid an economic disaster and that
the finance minister has been unable to come up with efficient measures to
support businesses. The vote on the motion is due on Wednesday. The healthcare
minister Nelu Tataru presented deputies with the measures taken to curb the
coronavirus outbreak. He said the healthcare system, which has had problems for
years, had to adjust quickly to tackle the crisis. The biggest problems were
the lack of protection equipment, a shortage of staff and underfunding, the
minister also said. He explained that at first Romania had only one PCR testing
device and now has 75, being able to carry out around 11,000 tests a day.
Romania has begun to flatten the curve of Covid-19 infections, but the
population still needs to show responsibility, the health minister also said.

Deficit. Romania
recorded a trade deficit of 4.46 billion euros in the first quarter of the
year, 732.4 million euros more than in same period last year, the National
Statistics Institute announced on Monday. Also, in the first three months of the
year exports amounted to 17.07 billion euros, down 2.6%, and imports to 21.526
billion euros, up 1.3% compared with the first quarter of last year. In March
this year, Romania’s exports dropped by nearly 700 million euros, to 5.4
billion euros, compared with March last year. Total trade within the European
Union between January and March this year amounted to 12.34 billion euros in
exports and 15.83 billion euros in imports.

Hearings. The labour minister Violeta Alexandru and
the foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu on Monday appeared before the joint
committees of the Romanian Senate to answer questions about the protection of
Romanian workers who left abroad during the pandemic. Minister Alexandru said
many of these workers did not sign contracts with job placement firms and
preferred instead direct contracts with companies from the respective
countries. She added that around 35,000 people left to work abroad during this
period and that the official figures do not match the worrying situation
presented by the media. The foreign minister also explained that his ministry
is conducting an inquiry and will address certain aspects relating to the issue
of Romanian seasonal workers.

Ports. 20.5 million tonnes of goods were handled in
the Romanian Black Sea ports of Constanta, Midia and Mangalia in the first four
months of the year, up 3.31% compared with the same period last year. Activity
is within normal parameters for all flows of goods, said the National Maritime
Port Management Company in Constanta. Cereals saw a dramatic increase by almost
50% compared with the same period last year. Other increases were recorded by
fertilisers, chemical substances, raw and processed minerals, equipment and
cars. Iron ore dropped by 31% and oil products by 23%. The Romanian ports
handled 4,450 ships in the first four months of the year compared with 4,152 in
the same period last year.