March 13, 2020 UPDATE
A roundup of the main stories in Romania today
Newsroom, 13.03.2020, 20:00
COVID-19 ROMANIA The number of coronavirus cases rises in Romania, going over 80, the authorities have announced. More than 2,300 people are in quarantine and almost 14,000 in isolation at home. Six are cured. To prevent and combat the spread of the virus, shopping malls in Bucharest and 14 other cities have announced reducing their opening hours to 8 per day, starting on Monday until the end of the month. Air travel has decreased considerably on Bucharest’s international airport, the biggest in Romania, by 20% in the terms of the number of flights and more than 30% in terms of number of passengers. Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis has rejected the idea that some cities in Romania may be locked down, and has advised citizens to get their information from official sources only and be careful about spreading rumours and fake news. He says the authorities in charge of managing the situation created by the new coronavirus have taken the necessary measures on time, but warns that these measures must be strictly respected by all Romanians.
COVID-19 WORLD Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, said Friday that Europe has now become the epicenter of the COVID19 pandemic, with more reported cases and deaths than the rest of the world combined, apart from China. Tedros added that over 5,000 deaths have been reported around the world. Also on Friday, the European Commission declared the COVID-19 a major public health emergency for the citizens, societies and economies of Member States, and a major shock for the EU. The Commission will use all the instruments available to it to mitigate the consequences of the pandemic. While in China the number of new cases and deaths tends to zero, the number is on the rise in Europe and the US. Italy remains the second-most severely hit country in the world after China, and the worst affected in Europe. The Republic of Moldova will suspend all flights to European destinations as of Sunday, for 2 weeks, in an attempt to contain the spread of the coronavirus, PM Ion Chicu announced on Friday. The US introduced a 30-day ban for all people who travelled in the Schengen area over the last 14 days. The EU condemned the measures, arguing they had been taken unilaterally and without consultations.
GOVERNMENT Romanias Parliament will vote the investiture of the Liberal Ludovic Orbans Cabinet on Saturday, the joint Standing Bureaus of the 2 chambers decided, and announced that the special procedure is a safety measure in the context of the coronavirus epidemic. President Klaus Iohannis Friday appointed the Liberal leader Ludovic Orban PM once again, stating that all parties in Parliament promised to ensure that the new Cabinet will be quickly sworn in. After consultations with parliamentary parties held on Friday by conference call, because of the coronavirus situation, the head of state said he had only received 1 nomination for the new PM designate, namely Ludovic Orban. The decision comes after on Thursday the Liberal Florin Cîţu resigned as PM designate, just before being sworn in by Parliament. The Liberal Cabinet headed by Ludovic Orban was dismissed through a no-confidence vote last month. The president appointed Orban once again to form a new government, but the latter was forced by a Constitutional Court decision to resign.
TENNIS Romanias mens tennis team will play against Portugal in the Davis Cup World Group I, following the draw held in London on Friday. Romania (no 41 in the Davis Cup ranking) will play at home against Portugal (ranked 28th), on September 18-19 or September 19-20. Romania was scheduled to play against China in Piatra Neamţ, in the World Group I playoffs on March 6-7, but the opponent missed the matches because of the coronavirus epidemic, whereas Portugal won 4-0 against Lithuania, away from home. Romania and Portugal played twice in the Davis Cup so far, each team having 1 win.
(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)
