March 17, 2020 UPDATE
The latest domestic and international news
Newsroom, 17.03.2020, 20:00
Covid-19 Romania At the video-conference he held on Tuesday with PM Ludovic Orban and the ministers responsible for managing the situation created by Covid-19, Romanias president Klaus Iohannis said that the state of emergency would last 30 days, and measures had to be taken right away. He called on the Government to assess the impact that the measures would have on the population both in the short run and over the estimated 30 days. The decree by means of which the Romanian president declared a national emergency was endorsed by all parliamentary committees. The document is to be voted on Thursday in plenary session of Parliament. According to official figures, the number of people who have tested positive in Romania now stands at 217, of whom 19 are cured. Some 3,300 people are under institutionalized quarantine, and some 16,600 are self-isolated at home and are being monitored. Dozens of criminal investigations have been started with respect to thwarting efforts to combat diseases. All asymptomatic persons entering Romania from countries with more than 500 infections will enter mandatory self-isolation at home for a period of 14 days. The measure applies to people entering by air and road. Safety measures have been strengthened in Romania, with all indoor cultural, scientific, artistic, religious, sports and entertainment activities involving more than 50 people now banned. Parliament has amended its regulations to the effect that in exceptional situations meetings and votes may be held by electronic means.
Railway The Romanian Railway Corporation suspended, as of Tuesday some international passenger services, including to and from neighboring Bulgaria, the Republic of Moldova and Hungary, because of the coronavirus pandemic. Passenger trains to Ruse, in Bulgaria, to Chisinau, in Moldova, and local cross-border railway transport on the Hungarian border have been suspended. Passengers may request refunds.
Covid-19 world The WHO urges Europe to take the boldest action possible to tackle the coronavirus, said in Copenhagen on Tuesday the WHO Regional Director for Europe, Hans Kluge. He stated that Europe became the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, with one-third of globally reported cases now stemming from the region. On Tuesday, the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova declared a state of emergency for 60 days. According the document approved at the Governments proposal, the measure will stay in force until May 15th. The global death-toll has exceeded 7,400 people, and some 185,000 have been infected. On Tuesday, France ordered a 15-day lock-down, and Hungary closed its borders for foreigners. In many European countries, schools are closed down, public gatherings have been cancelled and business operations suspended. In the US, president Donald Trump announced strict quarantine measures and believes the epidemic may be followed by a recession.
EC On Tuesday, the EC approved an investment package worth some 1.4 billion Euros for 14 large infrastructure projects in seven member countries: Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Spain, reads a communiqué issued by the EC. The projects cover several key areas, such as the environment, healthcare, transport and energy, for a smarter, carbon-neutral Europe. In Romania, the investments will provide access to clean water and better health-care.
Sports The final tournament of the European Football Championship, which should have been held between the 12th of June and the 12th of July, 2020, has been postponed until 2021, UEFA announced in a teleconference on Tuesday. Romania has four matches to organize on the National Arena in Bucharest. Also, the Roland Garros tournament, the second Grand Slam of the year, which should have started in late May, was rescheduled for autumn, the French tennis federation has announced. In another move, the International Olympic Committee stated on Tuesday that theres no need for radical decisions regarding the Olympic Games in Tokyo, due this summer. The Committee voiced confidence that the measures taken by authorities all over the world would prove effective in the fight against the pandemic. (M.Ignatescu)
