February 2, 2021 UPDATE

Romania has fourth highest Covid vaccination rate in the European Union./ Schools to reopen on 8 February.

Newsroom, 02.02.2021, 20:03

Vaccination. Romania has the fourth highest
Covid vaccination rate in the European Union, at 3.75%, said the head of the
national vaccination campaign, the army doctor Valeriu
Gheorghiţă. He said the EU average is 2.95%. More than 600,000 people have
received the vaccine in Romania so far. Between 3rd February and 14th
April, more than 570,000 people have made appointments to receive the first
dose and some 930,000 the second dose. Like all European states, Romania has
also been faced with delays in the vaccine supply, but pharmaceutical companies
are giving assurances that they will boost deliveries from mid February. On
Tuesday, the total number of infections passed 732,000 in Romania, almost a
year since the first case was confirmed in this country. More than 90% of those
infected have recovered and more than 18,500 have died. Almost 1,000 Covid
patients are currently in intensive care.

Schools. Romania’s
president Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday that schools will be reopening for
in-person learning for most children from 8th February, with the
start of the new semester. We must also take into account the situation in
each area and take very strict measures in every school, to ensure that
learning takes place in a safe environment for both children and teachers,
said the president. He also explained the three scenarios in place: green, in
places with a low number of Covid cases, where all children are physically present
in classrooms; amber, where only kindergarten children and pupils in years 1-4,
8 and 12 go to school; and red, where only kindergarten children and pupils in
years 1-4 go to school, with classes being held online for the rest. In places
with a high infection rate and which are subject to lockdown, everybody will
naturally stay at home, said the president. His statements come after a
meeting with prime minister Florin Cîţu, education
minister Sorin Cîmpeanu, health minister Vlad Voiculescu and other healthcare
officials.

Protests. More protests were held on
Tuesday in Bucharest and other cities across Romania against a planned freeze
on salaries and a cap on pensions. The latest protest staged by Cartel Alfa
trade union federation was also attended by police unions. The protesters
demanded decent and realistic minimum wages, fair pensions, a fair application
of the law and social dialogue. Health care unions protested on Monday in front
of the government headquarters to demand that the rights of healthcare employees
are respected. They want the salary rises initially planned for 2021, for the
salary gaps in the system to be bridged and the granting of a risk bonus for
social care workers.

Budget. Finance minister Alexandru Nazare and European commissioners Valdis Dombrovskis and Paolo Gentiloni on Tuesday discussed Romania’s budget for this year and the implementation of the national recovery and resilience plan. According to a ministry statement, Nazare told the EU officials that Romania will reduce its budget deficit this year while maintaining its economic recovery and growth prospects for the coming period.

Rep. Moldova.
The president of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu will pay an official visit
to Paris on Wednesday and Thursday, where she will have a meeting with her
French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, as well as with other high-ranking state
officials. According to Chișinău, the trip to France is meant to
give a new impetus to the political, economic and cultural relations between
the two countries. This is Maia Sandu’s third visit abroad, after Kiev and
Brussels. After taking office, at the end of December, she received in Chișinău the head of the Romanian state, Klaus Iohannis.

Navalny. A
Moscow court on Tuesday night sentenced Russian dissident Alexei Navalny to
three years and a half in prison for violating the terms of his suspended
sentence. Considered Vladimir Putin’s most popular rival, Navalny was arrested
on 17th January on his return from Germany, where he had been
treated for Novichok poisoning. His lawyers said he would appeal the sentence,
and his colleagues called for fresh anti-Putin protests. On Sunday, the Russian police arrested thousands
of people during demonstrations held around the country calling for Navalny to
be released. The European Union and the United States condemned the reprisals
against anti-government protesters. (CM)