July 16, 2021

Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 16.07.2021, 14:15

BLACK HAWK
Authorities in Romania and the United States have launched an investigation
into the recent incident involving a Black Hawk helicopter, which made a forced
landing in downtown Bucharest on Thursday. The crew had initially reported
technical issues during a training flight for the military ceremonies due on
July 20th and 21st to mark Romania’s Aviation Day and the end of the Romanian
contingent’s mission in Afghanistan. The helicopter crash-landed in a Bucharest
square bringing down two lampposts and damaging two vehicles.

EDUCATION Students from all over the world can enlist with the first
interactive online high school of an international profile in Romania due to
start activity in Cluj Napoca this autumn. Upon graduation, students are to receive
Cambridge-accredited diplomas. The aforementioned British-styled high-school is
going to function in a hybrid system. Students are going to attend online
courses and interact with each other in camps. The idea to set up such a school
came during the pandemic, when the organizers realized the importance of such
an institution in Romania. Cambridge-accredited diplomas are recognized in over
150 countries, Romania included, so students can easily opt for university
studies in numerous countries around the world.

WEATHER Almost 100 people have lost their lives while
hundreds are reported missing after the heavy rainfalls and flooding that have
recently affected Western Europe. In Germany, the most affected country, Chancellor
Angela Merkel has described the situation as a ‘tragedy’ and pledged full
support for the victims. Numerous towns and villages have been isolated and
roads have been completely covered by waters, which disrupted electricity in
more than 135 thousand households. Belgium has also reported fatalities and
many people unaccounted for. Extreme weather phenomena have also caused
material damage in the Netherlands where many people had to leave their homes.
Experts are blaming the latest weather phenomena on human-induced climate
change.

COVID-19 Authorities in Romania have included Spain, Portugal and the
Netherlands among the red-zone countries with a high infection risk, whereas
Greece, one of the most sought-after tourist destinations this summer is
presently in the yellow zone. Tourists who have been fully vaccinated do not
have to stay in quarantine upon their return to Romania irrespective of the
region they come from. Those unvaccinated coming from the red zone must stay in
quarantine for 14 days, whereas those coming from the yellow zone must produce
a negative PCR test made in the past 72 hours in order to avoid quarantine. The
National Committee for Emergency Situations has approved a pilot project
involving the use of trained dogs for detecting those infected. 62 new
infections were reported in Romania on Thursday, out of 25 thousand tests, as
well as three fatalities. 50 persons are being treated in ICUs. Since the
beginning of Romania’s vaccine rollout on December 27th last year, 4.7 million people
have been fully vaccinated in Romania, while authorities are trying to step up
the vaccination campaign in this country.

COMMISSIONER Romania must double its vaccination efforts this summer as only
30% of its adult population has been vaccinated says the European Commissioner
for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides who is paying a formal visit to
Romania on Friday. According to this EU official, the highly-contagious Delta
variant, which has been identified in Europe, represents a major risk for
people who haven’t got the jab. Vaccination is the most powerful weapon against
virus variants, the European Commissioner went on to say. According to a
communiqué issued by the European Commission Representation in Bucharest, EU
Commissioner Kyriakides will be meeting Health Minister Ioana Mihaila and pay a
visit to the vaccination center in Petresti, southern Romania. The talks will
be focusing on the EU’s vaccine strategy, Romania’s vaccine rollout as well as
the guidelines provided by the European Health Union.

(bill)