June 10, 2020

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Newsroom, 10.06.2020, 13:55

COVID-19 In Romania, 6 more people infected with the novel coronavirus died, taking the death toll to 1,360, the Strategic Communication Group announced on Wednesday. According to the latest data, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Romania is over 20,700. Of these, more than 14,900 have recovered, while 152 patients are in intensive care units. Around 3,300 Romanian nationals living abroad have so far tested positive for the virus, mostly in Italy, Germany and Spain, and 114 of them died. A large-scale testing programme begins in Bucharest today, aimed at determining the immunisation level, the City Hall announced. 10,500 people have been selected to take part, based on sampling conducted by the National Public Health Institute. The head of the Emergency Department (DSU), Raed Arafat, said on Tuesday night that the European Civil Protection structures are preparing for a possible second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that no one can predict at present whether this will be more severe than the first. Arafat argued that full relaxation is not recommended and that, should a second wave start, some measures will have to be taken.

PARLIAMENT In Bucharest, the finance minister, Florin Cîţu, is invited today to present explanations to the Senate’s economic and budget-finances committees concerning the Standard&Poor’s decision with respect to including Romania in their investment-grade category. Yesterday, a simple motion tabled by the Social Democratic Party in opposition against labour minister Violeta Alexandru was discussed and passed by the Senate. The Social Democrats requested the Labour Minister to step down over the emergency order on furlough and other measures concerning vulnerable categories, which was poorly written and required several successive changes. The minister was also criticised for how she handled the situation of the Romanian nationals who left the country to work abroad.

PROTEST The ”Ambulanţa” National Trade Union Federation organised a 2-hour protest across Romania, to warn against the postponement of regulations concerning the ambulance personnel and the organisation of ambulance services in the country. The unionists are also disgruntled, among other things, with the authorities failing to pay the COVID-19 bonus and other incentives, and overlooking a number of legislative initiatives coming from the Federation.

MEETING The Romanian interior minister Marcel Vela and the US Ambassador to Bucharest Adrian Zuckerman had a meeting focusing, among others, on the strategic partnership and the Visa Waiver programme. The 2 officials also discussed the cooperation between the US and Romania in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and in fighting crime. At present Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Cyprus are the only EU member states not covered by the US Visa Waiver system.

FUNERAL George Floyd, the African-American whose death while in police custody triggered anti-racism protests around the world, was buried in his home town, Houston. Calls for racial justice were the main theme of the funeral. In the US Congress, the Democrats yesterday tabled a police reform bill aimed at putting an end to racism in the system. According to Radio Romanias correspondent in Washington, the “Justice in Policing Act of 2020 is the most ambitious and comprehensive law enforcement reform attempted in Congress in recent decades, following the massive protests sparked by George Floyds death.

PANDEMIC The total number of novel coronavirus infections worldwide now passes 7.2 million, with over 3.5 million patients recovered and 408,000 dead, according to worldometers.info. The US remains the worst hit country in the world, with nearly 113,000 deaths, followed by Britain with close to 41,000, Brazil (over 38,000) and Italy (over 34,000 deaths). Brazil, one of the most affected countries in the world, has resumed the release of data concerning the Covid-19 infections on the governments home page, following a Supreme Court ruling. In spite of the large number of victims, many countries continue to ease containment measures and reopen their economy.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)