April 29, 2021

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 29.04.2021, 13:55

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA -
1.850 new cases of COVID-19 infection were reported on Thursday in Romania
after some 35,000 tests, the Group for Strategic Communication announced.
Another 138 related fatalities were also reported, while 1,295 people are
currently in intensive care. Over 1,050,000 people have tested positive for
COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic and 27,971 people have died to the
virus. The infection rate continues to exceed 3 per thousand inhabitants in the
capital city Bucharest and in Ilfov and Cluj counties, although the numbers are
dropping steadily. On the other hand, the Government’s special committee for
relaxing measures starting June 1 convened again to highlight the need for
adapting relaxation measures depending on the specificity of each field of
activity. Representatives of associations and employers’ associations made
clear-cut proposals for the organization of cultural events with the observance
of health safety regulations. The committee also discussed the gradual
reopening of hotels and restaurants as more and more people get vaccinated. All
proposals will be analyzed, starting today, by think-tanks that will address
each specific field. Meanwhile, the authorities are accelerating the
vaccination campaign. New vaccination centers will open this week. Some 84
thousand people got immunized yesterday.

COVID-19 IN THE WORLD -
The international community is rallying to support India, a week after this
country was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, with daily record-high numbers
of infections and fatalities and a health system under duress. The biggest
concern is the so-called Indian strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which spreads
rapidly and could be even more contagious and vaccine- and treatment-resistant
than other strains, the WHO has warned. With a population of nearly 1.4 billion
people, India has reported 200 thousand deaths and over 18 million infections
since the start of the outbreak. Some experts believe numbers could be even
higher. Great Britain has been sending oxygen concentrators and other medical
equipment, while the United States will be shipping 60 million doses of the
AstraZeneca vaccine. Romania has joined this international effort and delivered
200 oxygen concentrators via a Romanian Air Force Spartan aircraft.

HOLIDAY -Before the May 1st mini-holiday,
which this year coincides with the Orthodox Easter holiday, Prime Minister
Florin Cîţu calls on the population to keep observing anti-coronavirus sanitary
rules, even if Romania is now on a descending slope of the third wave of the
pandemic. He has urged the prefects and the police to take all measures to
ensure compliance with the health rules in place. In the Romanian resorts on
the Black Sea, over 30 thousand tourists are expected during the mini-holiday
of May 1 and Easter. About 100 hotels will be opened, many of them already occupied
at 70% capacity, the maximum allowed by the authorities. Tourists are not
allowed to party on the beach, and wearing a mask is mandatory.

PNNR -
The leaders of the center-right ruling coalition in Bucharest have adopted the
National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNNR) worth 29 billion Euro. The plan
will be presented in Brussels starting May 10, when the final negotiations with
European Commission representatives are due to take place. Prime Minister
Florin Cîţu said none of the proposed projects will be discarded. In turn,
Minister for Investment and European Projects, Cristian Ghinea, said funding
for certain investment has been reduced, while budget appropriations have been
readjusted to reflect the Commission’s recommendations.

PASSION
WEEK – Orthodox and Eastern-Orthodox Christians in Romania today
mark Maundy Thursday, the fourth day of Passion Week when they recall the
Lord’s Supper, the arrest and trial of Jesus. Passion Week precedes the Resurrection of
Jesus Christ and marks a time of humbleness and spiritual cleansing ahead of
the biggest celebration in the Christian calendar. Tonight, Orthodox believers
will attend a special mass where the 12 Gospels will be read, covering the last
moments in the life of Jesus, from the Lord’s Supper to his crucifixion. In his
last supper, Jesus Christ laid the foundations for the Holy Eucharist, offering
Christians the possibility to partake in the Body and Blood of the Lord. On the
same day, according to Gospel of John, Jesus withdrew to Gethsemane Garden to
pray. Betrayed by Judas, he was arrested and tried by the Sanhedrin and
sentenced to death for blasphemy.

UNEMPLOYMENT -
The unemployment rate stood at 5.5% in March, down by 0.2% compared to
February, a National Statistics Institute report reads. The number of
unemployed aged 15-74 stood at 464 thousand in March, compared to 478 thousand
the previous month. Broken down in terms of gender, unemployed men account for
5.7%, compared to 5.2% for women. The number of unemployed aged 24-74 account for
75.1% of the estimated number of unemployed in March.

SURVEY -
Romanians fear the economic crisis or corruption more than the COVID-19
pandemic or the outbreak of an armed conflict. It’s one of the findings of the
Security Survey published by the Romanian Academy’s Center for Sociological
Research. According to the survey, 43% of respondents believe Romania has been
a safe country after its NATO accession, while 37% said they felt safe during
the communist period. As regards public confidence in state institutions, 72%
of Romanians put their trust in the Army, followed by the Church with a 57%
share and the Foreign Ministry with 50%.

US -
The United States’ return to the international stage, the response to the
COVID-19 pandemic, the economic recovery plan, as well as firm warnings against
Russia and China, were some of the highlights of US president Joe Biden’s first
address to the joint session of Congress. Now, after just 100 days, I can
report to the nation: America is on the move again. Turning peril into
possibility. Crisis into opportunity. Setback into strength, the White House
leader said. According to Radio Romania’s Washington correspondent, Joe Biden
also addressed a message to Russian president Vladimir Putin, insisting that
Russia’s actions will have consequences. (V.P.)