1st March, 2020

A roundup of the main stories in Romania today.

Newsroom, 01.03.2020, 14:00

Coronavirus. Romania’s first confirmed coronavirus patient, a
25-year-old man from Gorj county, in the south-west, was declared officially
cured on Sunday and will be released from hospital. The man’s family are
still in isolation at home until the expiry of the 14-day incubation period.
Two other coronavirus cases were confirmed in Romania, the state of both
patients being good according to the authorities. 52 persons are in quarantine
around the country and 8,796 in isolation at home. Health authorities in Timis
county, in the west, and in Maramures, in the north-west, are carrying out
epidemiological investigations to establish who the two persons came into
contact with. Both the woman and the man who tested positive for coronavirus on
Friday had recently travelled to Italy. In Europe, Italy remains the most
affected country. Amid the spread of the coronavirus, shares around the world
have dropped sharply in the last week, losing over 5 trillion dollars. The BBC
notes that financial markets in the US haven’t been hit as hard since the
financial crisis of 2008.

Arrest.
The Bucharest Tribunal on Saturday evening ruled in favour of the temporary
arrest of the former Social Democrat health minister Sorina Pintea, who is
currently the manager of the emergency hospital in Baia Mare, in the
north-west. She is accused of taking bribe. According to the anti-corruption
prosecutors, Pintea received 10,000 euros and the equivalent in lei of around 25,000
euros between December 2019 and February 2020 from a company, via an
intermediary, accounting for 7% of the value of a contract signed with that
company to carry out rehabilitation works at a medical unit. Pintea was caught
in the act of receiving the money on Friday, at her office in the hospital in
Baia Mare. Sorina Pintea served as health minister in Viorica Dancila’s Social
Democrat cabinet that was dismissed last October.

Celebration.
Romania celebrates Marţişor on 1st March, an ancient ritual marking
the coming of spring. The Romanian Cultural Institutes abroad are holding a
series of events, including workshops, exhibitions and concerts. The Marţişor is
a small object attached to a white and red thread which people give as a gift
to their friends and families. The tradition dates back to pre-Christian times
and is specific to the indigenous populations in the Balkans, from the Republic
of Moldova to North Macedonia. Although today it is gifted mostly to women and
girls, in the past it used to be gifted before sunrise to children and young
people, both male and female. In 2017, the cultural practices associated with
the 1st March were inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List by
Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia and the Republic of Moldova.

Handball. The Romanian men’s handball champions Dinamo Bucharest are
today facing the Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon at home in the return leg of
the Champions League play-offs. Dinamo won the first leg 26-25. Also today, the
Romanian women’s handball vice-champions CSM Bucharest are facing the French
side Metz away in Group 1 of the Champions League Main Round. Yesterday in Group
2, the Romanian champions CSM Ramnicu Valcea defeated the Swedish side Savehof
at home 28-20. Both Romanian sides are fourth in their respective groups and
are sure to advance to the quarterfinals.

Sports
shooting. Romania’s Laura Georgeta Coman on Saturday won her second consecutive
gold medal at the 10m European Shooting Championships hosted by the Polish city
of Wroclaw. Coman will also compete in the upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo this
summer.

Award.
Romanian film-maker Cristi Puiu won the best director award in the Encounters
section of the Berlin International Film Festival for his production Malmkrog. The film is based on a book by
the 18th century Russian philosopher Vladimir Solovyov. It was shot on location at the
Apafi manor house in the village of Mălâncrav, in Sibiu county. This is Puiu’s
second award in Berlin after a Golden Bear in the short film section in 2004.
Encounters is the festival’s brand new competitive section. Two other Romanian
productions were shown in Berlin this year, by Radu Jude and Adrian Cioflâncă.
The Golden Bear award went to the Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof and his
film There Is No Evil. The film-maker
could not pick up his prize as he was not allowed to leave Iran, where has a
one-year prison sentence. (CM)