March 31st, 2020 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 31.03.2020, 19:59

COVID-19
ROMANIA In Romania, the number of coronavirus infections has reached 2,245. Of those
infected, 600 are in Suceava, in the north-east. Among the confirmed cases, 285
are medical staff. 220 people have been cured in the meantime. According to the
Strategic Communication Group, there are some 11,500 people in quarantine, and
125 thousand in isolation. 78 people have died of Covid-19 in Romania so far.

DECREES Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis, PM
Ludovic Orban and other members of the Government held an assessment meeting on
Tuesday. Iohannis conveyed a message of encouragement to all Romanian doctors,
who are the most exposed in the fight against Covid-19. Also, he sent a message
to the inhabitants of Suceava, which are in full quarantine as of Monday, assuring
them that all they need will be provided. According to military decree no.6,
all access ways to and out of the city are secured by army and police. Several other
restrictive measures have been taken for the city of Suceava and another 8
villages around it, because more than a quarter of the confirmed cases of
infection were reported there. Also on Monday night, military decree no.5 was
issued, which extends the measure to suspend flights between Spain and Romania
for another 14 days, as of March 31st, and also to and from Italy,
starting April 6th, also for 14 days.

FURLOUGH In Romania, companies,
authorized natural persons and other categories of staff can submit the
necessary papers to request furlough benefits, in the context of the Covid-19
pandemic. Labour Minister Violeta Alexandru has mentioned a few things about
the two decrees that regulate this field. The state will provide 75% of the
average gross salary, which is a maximum of 475 Euro. The amount is granted
only during the state of emergency. Athletes too can get such benefits. All papers
will be submitted online.

PANDEMIC More
than 40 thousand people have died of Covid-19
around the world. There are more than 820 thousand confirmed cases of
infection. The US is the most affected country, with some 165 thousand cases. In
Europe, Italy has registered the biggest number of deaths so far, but the
number of newly infected dropped quite significantly on Monday, as compared to
the previous days. Spain is the third most affected country. A big number of
cases has also been reported in Germany, but there the mortality rate is lower
than in other countries. France, on the other hand, on Monday reported the
biggest number of deaths in one day since the start of the pandemic.

TALKS On Tuesday, the Romanian head
of state Klaus Iohannis held a phone conversation with his Israeli counterpart
Reuven Rivlin, at the request of the latter. The two officials discussed the
epidemiological crisis triggered by the new coronavirus and means of
cooperation in order to combat its spread. President Iohannis presented the
measures adopted by the Romanian authorities to identify and treat people with
Covid-19, and also to prevent the spreading of the new coronavirus. Also, the
two stressed the close friendship between their countries, based on common
interests. Against this background, president Ioahnnis invited again his
Israeli counterpart to pay a visit to Romania, when the current crisis has
ended, and Reuven Rivlin accepted the invitation.

RATING
Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Fitch Ratings has given a negative opinion on
the prospects for the banking sector in central and eastern Europe, which
covers the markets in Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Romania and
Slovenia. According to news agencies, Fitch has revised its opinion from stable
to negative.

NATO The
Romanian military ship ‘Vice-Admiral Constantin Balescu’ is in the
Mediterranean Sea halfway through its mission of maintaining NATO’s reaction
capability on the south-eastern flank. Since January, the ship has commanded
the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 and successfully executed a fictional
scenario for the protection of Crete Island. Romanian sailors placed exercise
mines as an obstacle against a potential enemy’s amphibious landing of troops. Also,
together with the German mine sweeper Fulda, they simulated the creation of a corridor
for landing craft. (M.Ignatescu)