March 23, 2020 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 23.03.2020, 19:56
COVID-19 ROMANIA Romanias president Klaus Iohannis has stated that the coming weeks will be critical, and that will test the states entire capability. Therefore, he has made an appeal to responsibility and solidarity, saying that the true force of a nation is that of caring for the others, by strictly abiding by the rules. Also, by staying home, we help doctors care for those who really need them, Klaus Iohannis has explained. He has added that tougher measures will be taken to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, as well as economic measures to help those affected. As of Monday night, circulation restrictions are in force during the night, in keeping with Military Decree no.2. Between 10 pm and 6 am, citizens can only leave their homes if they go to work, and have to prove that with a work ID, a certificate issued by the employer or a self-declaration. A self-declaration is also needed in case one has to leave home after 10 pm for a medical emergency or to exercise. As of Tuesday, all public and private hospitals in Romania will suspend, for 14 days, admissions for surgeries and other interventions that are not urgent and which can be rescheduled. As of Monday, Romania is a yellow zone, with more than 500 infections reported. According to the Strategic Communication Group, by Monday, 576 cases of infection were reported in Romania, by 143 more than on Sunday. So far, seven people have died and 73 have been cured and discharged from hospital. In another development, eight Romanians have died of Covid-19 outside Romania, seven in Italy and one in France.
REPATRIATION The Bucharest authorities have announced that they are planning, this week, a number of flights from various Italian cities to Romania, in order to bring Romanian citizens home. According to data centralized by the Strategic Communication Group, the Foreign Ministry has helped more than 1000 Romanian citizens to come back to Romania by plane. Since March 18th, some 46,800 citizens have entered the country by road, through five crossing points on the border with Hungary, via a specially created humanitarian corridor.
TELECONFERENCE On Monday, the Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu attended the EU foreign ministers teleconference, devoted to the Covid-19 pandemic. The talks focused on the need for a more effective coordination, at European level, to contain the pandemic, through concrete measures that can ensure the transport of goods and people, the repatriation of European citizens from third countries, as well as other means of support. Minister Aurescu said that the EU citizens who need to go back to their countries must be helped to do so. In another move, the High Representative of the EU Josep Borrell briefed the participants on the latest developments in Syria/Turkey. The Romanian minister said that identifying a political solution, within the framework set by the UN, was the only viable response to the Syrian crisis.
VACCINE China has started the first clinical trials for a vaccine against the new coronavirus, while many countries are making efforts to find a way to combat the virus. Currently there is no vaccine or approved treatment for Covid-19, which has killed more than 15,000 people around the world, mostly in Italy. After Italy, the most affected countries are China and the US. On the other hand, the smallest number of daily new cases has been reported in South Korea, which registered a contamination peak four weeks ago. The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for an immediate ceasefire in all conflict areas in the world in order to protect those communities against the pandemic. He has stated that the most vulnerable categories of the population – women, children, people with disabilities, marginalized or dislocated – are the most exposed to the risk of suffering devastating losses because of Covid-19.
OLYMPIC GAMES A decision to postpone the Olympic Games in Tokyo could become inevitable, as the pandemic will make it impossible for the competition to be held in safe conditions, the PM of Japan, Shinzo Abe, admitted on Monday. He stressed again that his country was committed to organizing the Olympic Games in the best of conditions. Previously, the president of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach had stated that canceling the games was not on the agenda, because that would destroy the Olympic dream. Last week, UEFA decided to postpone by one year the 2020 European Championship because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Bucharest is supposed to host four matches in the final tournament, three in the group stage and one in the round of sixteen. Romania still stands changes of qualifying through the Nations League play-off due in June. Romania will be playing against Island in an away game and, if it qualifies, it will take on the winner of the match pitching Hungary against Bulgaria. (M.Ignatescu)
