October 30, 2020 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 30.10.2020, 20:18

COVID-19 RO. Romanias Health Minister Nelu Tataru has warned that the next 3-4 weeks will be difficult for Romania, with the authorities trying to curb the number of infections with the new coronavirus, so that they may reach a ceiling. According to him, authorities rely on 1200 IC beds, with the possibility of adding another 300, where those infected are benefitting from the same treatments as the patients abroad. Over 6,540 new infections were confirmed on Friday and another 103 new fatalities were reported. Out of more than 11 thousand patients hospitalized, 917 are in a severe condition. Since the onset of the pandemic, the novel coronavirus has killed 6,867 people in Romania. According to Prime Minister Ludovic Orban, authorities are trying to identify the local causes favouring the spread of the virus. Orban says the government isnt considering additional measures yet.

FUNDS. The EU is to earmark 220 million euros for the transfer of Covid-infected patients from one country to another, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday following a videoconference of EU leaders to discuss the present health crisis. A platform will be created allowing experts to provide counseling to national governments, share the best methods and scientific recommendations and also to avoid contradictory messages. Romanias president Klaus Iohannis made an appeal for the coordination of all efforts to deal with the health crisis and called for additional funds for the diversification of procurement sources for the future vaccines.

PANDEMIC. Worldwide, the number of Covid-19 cases has exceeded 45.3 million, and the number of deaths is close to 1.2 million. More than 33 million people have been healed so far, according to the Worldometers.info. European Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides on Friday called on EU member states to impose restrictions on the population in order to combat the spread of the coronavirus on the continent, Reuters reports. Travel restrictions came into force in Europe on Friday. In France, where quarantine measures have been imposed for the second time at national level, citizens are no longer allowed to travel more than one km from their personal home unless they have a real justification. In Spain, the Madrid Parliament has approved the extension of the state-imposed emergency at national level. The head of the German executive, Angela Merkel, has agreed with federal officials to set up a so-called limited lockdown, in parallel with tightening existing rules. Angela Merkel has warned that four long and difficult winter months are coming, as Europe is faced with s a significant increase in the number of coronavirus cases. The lower chamber of the Czech Parliament approved on Friday the extension of the state of emergency until November 20. In another development, the United States has exceeded the daily threshold of 90,000 contaminations for the first time, and the death toll and hospitalizations are also rising. For the third time in October, more than 1,000 people died in a single day.

COLECTIV. On Friday, Romanias president Klaus Iohannis laid a wreath of flowers in memory of the victims of the fire that destroyed the Colectiv night club in Bucharest five years ago and killed 65 people. Also on Friday, the president promulgated a law granting lifetime treatment to the victims. Five years on, 150 young people are still in need of treatment. Several people were apprehended by the police back then including the club owners and representatives of the company that provided the fireworks for the concert. The club owners were sent to court, but investigation procedures dragged on for years. The file is now on at the Bucharest Court of Appeal with a deadline set by December this year. Thousands took to the streets after the tragedy five years ago, disgruntled by the authorities lack of involvement. The mass protests forced the Social-Democratic government of that time to step down.

FIRE Spain, Portugal and Poland recorded the highest number of forest fires in EU countries in 2019, but Romania was the country that suffered the most damage in protected areas with 73,444 hectares of affected area, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS). EFFIS data were taken from the annual report on forest fires in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, drawn up by the European Commissions Joint Research Center. According to the EU Executive, in 2019 the year with the most disastrous effects of global forest fires in recent history, over 400,000 hectares of European natural land burned and a record number of protected natural areas were affected by forest fires.

EARTHQUAKE. Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu sent a message of solidarity to Turkey and Greece on Friday following the strong earthquake that occurred in the Aegean Sea. The head of diplomacy in Bucharest sent sincere condolences for the loss of human lives and regrets for the material damage suffered. The Foreign Ministry in Bucharest has announced that, so far, the Turkish and Greek authorities have not notified Romanias diplomatic or consular missions in the two states with regard to the existence of Romanian citizens affected by Fridays earthquake. A strong earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale shook western Turkey on Friday and caused significant damage and property damage. The quake, which was felt from Istanbul to Athens, occurred in the Aegean Sea, southwest of Izmir, Turkeys third largest city, and near the Greek island of Samos. Turkey is located in one of the most active seismic areas in the world. In 1999, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck the countrys northwest and killed more than 17,000 people.

AIR FORCE. Two more F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, out of the group of five, which will be part of the Romanian Air Force, arrived on Friday, from Portugal, at the air base in Borcea, (south), the Romanian Ministry of Defense has announced. According to a press release, the last aircraft in the group of five will be delivered in the first quarter of 2021. The first two arrived in Romania in August. The Romanian Air Force has another 12 F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, which are already performing air police missions under NATO command.

ATTACK. In France, the government has announced the strengthening of anti-terrorist security measures, at the end of the Defense Council convened by President Emmanuel Macron, after the Islamist attack in Nice, in which three people were killed by a Tunisian immigrant. Increased forces will be mobilized immediately for better surveillance of public space, according to the Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who decided to reactivate 3,500 reservist gendarmes. Also, 100 police officers have been posted to Nice, where the population is dominated by a strong sense of insecurity. The Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has advised the French citizens living abroad to be cautious, as the threat to French interests is present in many parts of the world. Following Thursdays attack in Nice, France raised security alert for the entire territory to the highest level. The attack comes less than two weeks after an Islamist militant beheaded a teacher near Paris after he presented students caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.

(M. Ignatescu)