April 5, 2020
A roundup of domestic and international news.
Newsroom, 05.04.2020, 14:00
COVID ROMANIA — The Bucharest authorities on Saturday passed a new military order, the seventh since the state of emergency was declared in the country over the coronavirus pandemic. The decree places the town of Tandarei, in Ialomita county, under total lockdown, after 800 locals returned home from abroad and failed to observe home isolation regulations. Tandarei is thus the second Romanian town under total quarantine, after Suceava, in the north-east. Also, all commercial flights to and from Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Turkey and Iran have been suspended for 14 days. Flights to and from Italy, Spain, France and Germany had already been suspended. Charter flights for the transport of seasonal workers to other states are still allowed. Under the new military order, the international road transport of people to and from Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, England, Ireland, the Netherlands and Turkey will continue to be banned for as long as the state of emergency is in place. As many as 148 people have died from coronavirus in Romania, 3,864 have been infected, of whom 374 have recovered and 141 are in intensive care. Almost 16 thousand people are quarantined at national level and over 109 thousand are in home isolation. 401 Romanian citizens abroad have tested positive for COVID-19 and 27 have died.
PANDEMIC — The death toll from the novel coronavirus has exceeded 63 thousand across the world. Europe, the continent most affected by the virus, with three thirds of the total deaths, seems to be stagnating, except for the UK which has enforced prevention measures very late. Spain and France have reported a smaller number of hospitalized patients while in Italy the number of critical patients has decreased for the first time. US President Donald Trump has warned the American people to prepare for the most difficult stage of the pandemic, when the number of deaths will be high.
PALM SUNDAY – Catholic Christians worldwide are celebrating Palm Sunday, marking the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, where the crowd welcomed Him holding palm branches. Palm Sunday marks the start of the last week of Lent, also known as Holy Week, when Christians prepare to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. In the context of the coronavirus pandemic, the religious service in Romania and in other countries will be held in empty churches and broadcast on TV, radio and online. This year Roman-Catholic Christians celebrate Easter on April 12, while Orthodox Christians on April 19.
NATO – Since 2005, NATO Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of April. On this occasion, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has said in a message that NATO made possible the consolidation of security at regional and global level and created the premises for activities conducted jointly with the EU in fields of common interest. Romania will continue to act in a coherent and convergent manner together with the other allies, so that NATO continues to be strong and successful, the head of state has said. In his turn, PM Ludovic Orban said that after 16 years of NATO membership, Romania has become a stability pillar in the region, and that this membership is the strongest security guarantee for the country. Romania joined NATO in 2004.
GOVERNMENT – The Liberal Government in Bucharest is preparing the first budget revision this year. On Monday, Government members will discuss about redirecting important funds to the healthcare system and to supporting companies at risk in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. Ministers will also discuss about giving bonuses to the medical staff treating patients infected with coronavirus. More than 180 thousand Romanians have been made redundant and almost 900 thousand have suspended labour contracts over the pandemic, according to data supplied by the Labour Ministry. The Government has already decided that employees with suspended labour contracts might receive a technical unemployment allowance.
WEATHER — The coronavirus pandemic also influences the accuracy of weather forecasts. Thus, the World Meteorological Organisation has signaled the fact that it receives insufficient data drawing up weather forecasts, given the fact that important data regarding global temperatures and wind are supplied by commercial flights, whose number has decreased significantly. Weather experts are also concerned about the fact that the maintenance of the satellites and ground observation equipment might be neglected in the context of the pandemic. Temperatures are going up in Romania today, with maximums ranging from 11 to 19 degrees Celsius. A yellow code alert for strong wind is in place for several regions in the south and south east. The noon reading in Bucharest was 14 degrees Celsius. (translated by Elena Enache)
