January 29, 2022

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 29.01.2022, 13:55

COVID-19 – 30,168 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 were reported in the last
24 hours in Romania in addition to 75 related fatalities, of which three were
prior to the reference period, the Group for Strategic Communication announced
on Saturday. Romania on Wednesday reported a record-high number of new
infections since the start of the pandemic – 34,255. In Bucharest, the
incidence rate has exceeded 16 per thousand inhabitants. The rate has increased
steadily since January 1, when it stood at 0.72. Against the backdrop of the growing infection
rate and the swift spread of the Omicron strain, the Romanian authorities are
looking for ways to facilitate access to testing and treatment, in order to
relieve the burden on hospitals and ambulance services. People can get a rapid
test for Covid free of charge in over 4,000 family physician practices across
the country, or by paying a small fee in some 138 drug stores. At national
level, the Covid bed occupation rate stands at some 30%, although there are
significant differences between counties. For the time being, the occupation
rate has not exceeded 75% in any county. If this rate is exceeded, classes will
move online. For the time being, however, pupils in nearly all schooling units
will continue classes with full physical attendance starting Monday. The
Education Ministry announced, however, that pupils in some 108 units will
attend classes online due to high numbers of infection reported in these
schools.

JETS – The German Air Forces will deploy three Eurofighter jets to
Romania in February and March, in the context of NATO consolidating its
military presence in Eastern Europe, amidst growing tensions on the Ukrainian
border. The jets will be integrated in the Italian squadron that was deployed
to Romania last month. The Italian unit comprises 140 military, including
pilots and technical staff, operating four Eurofighter Typhoon jets and
carrying out air policing missions. On the other hand, Washington will soon be
deploying troops to Eastern Europe, US president Joe Biden has announced. The
United States has already put 8,500 troops on high alert in order to supplement
NATO’s rapid response force in case of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. President
Biden said, however, that no American troops will be dispatched to Ukraine,
which is not a member of NATO. In turn, France’s Defense Minister, Florence
Parly, told France Inter that Paris is willing to send hundreds of troops to
Romania, a NATO member and a neighbor of Ukraine. France is also ready to take
responsibility for building an international defense force to defend Romania,
in the event such a decision is taken at NATO level.

UKRAINE – The European Union has condemned Russia’s decision to ban
the entry to Russia of several European officials, a decision that continues to
deepen the crisis in Ukraine. The Russian diplomacy on Friday announced that
the heads of several European private military companies, members of security
agencies and certain MEPs and other European officials will be henceforth
banned from entering Russia. According to the Russian Ministry for Foreign
Affairs, these people are personally responsible for promoting anti-Russian
policies. In response, Brussels says this decision lacks any legal
justification and transparency, and is bound to generate an adequate response.
In other new, France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, had a telephone conversation
with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. According to the French
presidency, Putin made no mention of any aggressive intensions and specifically
pointed out he seeks no armed confrontation with Ukraine. Additionally, the
Kremlin leader insisted on resuming Russian-Ukrainian negotiations, moderated
by France and Germany in the so-called Normandy format. In turn, Ukraine’s
president, Volodymyr Zelensky, urged Western leaders not to spread panic
regarding tensions with Russia, considering that diplomatic efforts have
intensified with a view to solving this crisis.

EXPO 2020 DUBAI – Romania’s pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai on Friday
played host to a special event aimed at raising public awareness regarding the
importance of water as a key and indispensable nutrient for the human body.
Water sommelier Claudia Benea talked about the benefits of mineral waters.
Participants were invited to sample a wide variety of Romanian mineral waters.
Romania is one of countries home to rich sources of underground water, with thousands
of pristine springs containing mineral salts. We recall that the Expo 2020
Dubai is running from October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022. (VP)