March 12, 2020

Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 12.03.2020, 13:54

COVID-19 Romania has reported 48 cases of infection with the new
coronavirus. Six of those infected have been cured so far but 1,450 people have
been quarantined while 13,500 are being monitored at home. In order to prevent
and contain the spreading, the Ministry of Defence is assessing and preparing
its own medical facilities to be able, if need be, to isolate or monitor any possible
cases. Authorities have suspended for six months the distribution outside
Romania of medicines and medical materials needed to fight the outbreak.
Cultural and entertaining events with more than 100 people attending have also
been suspended until March 31st. Under-graduate schools have been
closed down until March 22nd while universities are staging only online
courses for the following period. Road transportation of persons between
Romania and Italy has been suspended until the end of this month. The same
measure had been imposed for air and rail transports. Army medical personnel
will be deployed at the borders to strengthen epidemiological monitoring
capacities. Romanian nationals returning from Italy, China, Iran and South
Korea will be placed in quarantine or home isolation. The situation has
worsened in Spain where a major community or Romanians is living and the
Romanian ambassador to that country has called on the Romanians to avoid
travelling and has informed them on their being quarantined upon their arrival
in Romania.

ECONOMY Stocks in Asia dropped on Thursday after president Trump’s
announcement to suspend all flights from Europe to the USA, with the exception
of those coming from Britain for 30 days due to the coronavirus, AFP informs. European
stock exchanges, including that in Bucharest, have also dropped several
percentages. According to analysts travel restrictions also mean less economic
activity. Crude prices have dropped by 6% on Asian markets as the suspension of
flights to Europe and the USA has caused a sharp drop in fuel consumption. Pundits
expect the European Central Bank to announce new measures aimed at boosting the
Eurozone economies to enable them to face the shock triggered by the
coronavirus epidemic.

VOTE Parliament in Bucharest is today seeing the investiture
vote for the cabinet proposed by Florin Citu, the incumbent Finance Minister.
The coronavirus epidemic has raised the chances for the designated Prime
Minister to get the confidence vote in spite of the announcement of the Social
Democratic opposition to vote against. In order to get endorsement, Parliament
needs at least 233 votes. We recall the Liberal government led by Ludovic Orban
was sacked through a no-confidence vote last month. The president has again
designated Orban to form a new government, but the latter stepped down
following a Constitutional Court decision.

ELECTIONS The Constitutional Court has found that the emergency
order amending the laws on parliamentary elections and on the organisation of
early elections comes against the Constitution. According to the Court, the
article that scraps previous restrictions and allows voters to cast their
ballots in any polling station, regardless of the constituency in which they
live, violates the fundamental rights laid down in the Constitution. Thursday’s
decision of the Constitutional Court thus confirms the unconstitutionality
claim raised by the Ombudsman.

(translated by bill)