March 12, 2020 UPDATE
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Newsroom, 12.03.2020, 20:36
Coronavirus — The Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu on Thursday had a meeting with the ambassadors of the EU member states to Bucharest and he underlined the necessity to provide an adequate medical response to the spreading of the COVID-19 across the EU. The number of cases of contamination with the new coronavirus in Romania reached 50. 6 of the people contaminated have recovered so far, with almost 1,600 people being in institutionalized quarantine and more than 13,600 in quarantine at home and under medical monitoring. To prevent and combat the spreading of the virus the Romanian authorities have closed down schools and kindergartens until March 22 and universities suspended courses until March 31. Distribution outside Romania of medicines and sanitary materials used for combating the coronavirus has been suspended for the next 6 months and the cultural and entertainment events involving the participation of more than 100 people in closed area were also cancelled until March 31. The army will send military medical staff to help assess and prioritize potential patients at the cross-border points in the south, west and northwest of Romania. The Romanian citizens who arrive in the country through the land cross border points from Italy, China, Iran, South Korea, Germany, France and Spain will be quarantined in hospitals or at home.
Epidemic — China has passed the peak of the coronavirus epidemic, the National Health Commission announced on Thursday after only 8 new cases of contamination have been reported in Hubei province, the epicenter of the epidemic where the number of cases was much higher. The coronavirus has infected around 126 thousand people around the world, has killed over 4,600 but almost 70 thousand people have recovered from the infection. So far, besides China, cases of contamination have been reported in 120 countries. Bulgaria, Ireland, Sweden and Indonesia have reported the first death on their territory. The Czech Republic declared the state of emergency on Thursday and will close the borders fro the foreign citizens from 15 countries to contain the spreading of the virus. Slovakia also announced closing the borders. Italy remains the European country most affected by the coronavirus epidemic.
Government — The Romanian president Klaus Iohannis has summoned parliamentary parties for talks, on Friday, with a view to designating a new PM. The decision was made on Thursday after the Liberal Florin Citu stepped down from the position of PM designate. The Romanian president considers his gesture a proof of political maturity in the ‘complicated context’ caused by the coronavirus. Klaus Iohannis has called on Parliament to give a vote of investiture, next week, to a full fledged government that should be able to fight the effects of the spreading of the new coronavius, since a full fledged government has all the means and instruments to take the necessary measures. Florin Citu’s decision to step down occurred little ahead of Parliament’s giving its vote on the proposed cabinet. We recall that the Liberal government headed by the Liberal leader Ludovic Orban was dismissed through a no confidence motion last month. President Iohannis re-designated Mr. Orban as the new PM but he had to step down following a decision of the Constitutional Court. (translation by L. Simion)
