April 1, 2020 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news.
Eugen Coroianu, 01.04.2020, 20:00
ANALYSIS — President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday chaired a meeting aimed at analyzing and presenting public safety and order measures in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Taking part were Prime Minister Ludovic Orban, Interior Minister Marcel Vela, Defense Minister Nicolae Ciuca and State Secretary with the Interior Ministry, Police Chief Bogdan Despescu. President Iohannis warned that everybody must respect the rules, the ordinances and the orders in place or be fined. Over 870 control actions have been conducted since the state of emergency was declared, and over 78,000 thousand people were fined. A new government order that increases penalties for those who fail to respect the safety measures will be enforced on Thursday. Authorities report 2,460 infections with the new coronavirus and 86 deaths. 252 people have recovered. Prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into several irregularities reported at the Suceava County Hospital in Suceava, the only county where total quarantine has been declared and where a large number of medical staff and patients have tested positive for COVID-19. Another five Romanians from abroad have been infected with Covid-19, of whom 2 in the UK, and 3 in Spain. A total number of 196 Romanian citizens were found positive to the virus, abroad: 105 in Spain, 57 in Italy, 14 in France, 7 in Germany, 4 in the UK, 2 in Namibia, 2 in Indonesia, 1 in Tunisia, 1 in Ireland, 1 in Luxemburg, 1 in Belgium and 1 in the US. As many as 24 Romanian citizens died from coronavirus abroad: 9 in Italy, 6 in France, 4 in the UK, 4 in Spain and 1 in Germany.
CORONAVIRUS IN EUROPE — The COVID-19 pandemic has killed over 30,000 people in Europe, of whom two thirds in Italy and Spain, France Press quotes information released by national authorities. France is the country with the third-largest number of victims. Europe is the continent most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The European Commission has proposed the disbursement of an additional 75 million euros to support operations aimed at repatriating European citizens and increasing the reserve budget for the purchase of medical equipment. The Commission is considering an adjustment of the said budget. Since the start of the pandemic, some 2,300 EU citizens have been repatriated from countries like China, Japan, the United States, Morocco, Tunisia, Georgia or the Philippines. Another 80 similar flights are scheduled for the coming days. Travel restrictions have been extended in Italy and Germany, so that people will have to stay indoor during the Easter holiday, to avoid spreading the virus.
STUDY — Isolation and other measures adopted to avert the COVID-19 pandemic from spreading have saved the lives of some 59,000 people in 11 European countries, researchers with the Imperial College in London have revealed. The measures taken are quarantine for the sick, the closing-down of schools and universities, banning public gatherings, social distancing measures and general isolation. Italy, the first country to introduce strict measures and where the pandemic has reached its peak, some 38,000 lives were saved due to the decision to impose total quarantine, the study reveals. Next on the list is Spain with 16,000 lives saved, followed by France with 2,500 lives saved, Belgium with 560 and Germany. Researchers say that “any more deaths will be averted by keeping interventions in place until transmission drops to low levels”.
NATO – On Thursday, Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu will attend a meeting of the NATO foreign ministers by secure videoconference. Participants will look at ways of dealing with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the Alliance’s activities. Threats at NATO’s southern border, the process of strategic reflection regarding the consolidation of Alliance’s political dimension and the security evolutions in the Euro-Atlantic area are also to be discussed. This is the first meeting attended by North Macedonia as an official allied state, which brings the number of NATO members to 30. “NATO is doing its part to help in this common fight against an invisible enemy”, the Secretary General told a press conference ahead of the one-day meeting. “We are in this crisis together and when we respond together, our response is more effective”, the Secretary General said.
UNEMPLOYMENT — Businesses, self-employed people and other types of employees can apply for technical unemployment starting on Wednesday. Labor Minister Violeta Alexandru made a series of declarations regarding the two decrees regulation this field. The state will thus pay 75% of the average gross salary, namely no more than 475 euros. The measure is in place only during the state of emergency. Athletes are also eligible for this type of unemployment benefits. All the related documents will be filed online. (Translated by Elena Enache)
