May 21, 2021
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 21.05.2021, 13:55
Covid-19RO. The number of new cases of coronavirus
infection has been dropping in Romania. Only 484 cases were reported on Friday,
out of 34,000 tests performed in 24 hours. The number of patients in intensive
care has dropped too, down to 636. 49 Covid-related deaths were reported on Friday.
The vaccination campaign continues. More than 4 million people have been
vaccinated, 3 million of whom with both doses. In Bucharest, 36% of the
population got at least the first jab.
EU certificate. The European Parliament and the EU Member
States have reached an agreement on the European digital Covid Certificate, which aims to facilitate travel
in the EU. The so called ‘green certificate’ would allow anyone in the bloc to
obtain a digital proof of coronavirus vaccination status, COVID test results or
recovery from an infection. With regard to the two divergent points regarding
the cost of PCR tests and the waiver of quarantine, it was agreed that the
tests would be affordable and that the European Commission would allocate 100
million Euro to purchase them; as for quarantine, Member States shall refrain
from imposing it on those with a health certificate, unless such a measure is
strictly necessary with regard to public health. People who have received a
single dose of vaccine can also apply for the certificate, but only if they
have been immunized with one of the anti-COVID vaccines approved by the
European Medicines Agency: Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson &
Johnson. European Union officials want the European Covid-19 certificate to
become operational next month. It will be discussed at the EU summit on 24-25
May, and then an agreement will have to be approved in the European
Parliament’s plenary session on 7-10 June.
CoE. The head of the
Romanian diplomacy, Bogdan Aurescu, participates, today, in the 131st meeting
of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (CoE), in
videoconference system. The agenda of talks includes topics such as democracy,
conflicts and crises in Europe. According to a communiqué of the MFA, during
his intervention, Minister Bogdan Aurescu will reiterate Romania’s position in
favor of streamlining multilateralism and strengthening resilience based on
democratic values and international law. At the same time, he strongly
supports freedom of expression and the fight against discrimination, racism,
xenophobia and hate speech.
Ceasefire. The EU has
hailed the cease of the fire between Israel and Hamas and has committed to
supporting efforts to find a long-term political solution to the conflict. The
truce, mediated by Egypt, came into force today, putting and end to 11 days of heavy
fighting. More than 230 Palestinians, of whom half women and children, have
been killed in Gaza. Also, in Israel, 12 people, including 2 children, have
been killed since the start of the conflict. The US President Joe Biden has
stated that the ceasefire is an opportunity to move forward towards achieving peace.
Celebration. Today, Orthodox
Christians and Greek Catholics in Romania celebrate the Saint Emperors
Constantine and Helena, the spiritual protectors of the Patriarchal Cathedral in
Bucharest. Constantine was the first Christian emperor to become a saint. He
ruled the Roman Empire between 306 and 337 and radically changed imperial
policy toward Christians. More precisely, in 313, he promulgated a decree
granting them the freedom to express their faith, after 250 years of
persecution. Constantine’s mother, St. Helena, distinguished herself by finding
the wood of the Holy Cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified and by building
several churches in the Holy Places. On this day, more than 1.8 million
Romanians celebrate their name day.
Swimming. Romanian swimmer
Robert Glinta won the gold medal in the 100 m backstroke event at the European
Swimming Championships in Budapest on Thursday. It is the first gold obtained
by Romania at a European Swimming Championship for seniors in the men’s events
and the first after a break of 17 years, the last achievement belonging to the
girls, through Camelia Potec in 2004, in Madrid, in the 200 m freestyle. Also
at the European Championships in Budapest, Robert Glinta, qualified for the
Tokyo Olympics in the 100 m backstroke event, also won the 50 m backstroke
silver. (MI)
