May 23, 2020

Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 23.05.2020, 13:55

COVID 19 Another 4 people have been killed by the new coronavirus in Romania
raising the total number of fatalities to 1170. The number of deaths caused by
the new coronavirus has constantly dropped this week and the number of people
cured was higher than the number of infections. Nearly 11200 people have been
cured out of the 17850 infected, which accounts for 63 percent. The number of
quarantined has gradually diminished by one third since the beginning of the
week. However, the number of those in home isolation has significantly grown
against the relaxation measures for the Romanian nationals who lived abroad and
now are coming back to Romania. The national test rate stood at 10 thousand
tests a day. Yesterday, the town hall of Bucharest launched an online platform part
of a free campaign aimed at testing people for the new coronavirus. A first
group of 11 thousand Bucharesters will be tested as part of this campaign and
the municipality is to commence a medical survey during which another 10,500 Bucharesters
will be invited to take the test.

PANDEMIC China hasn’t reported any Covid infection today for the first time
since Beijing started publishing data about the pandemic, in January. The
outbreak was identified in the province of Wuhan, central China, late last
year and the latest toll reported was 83 thousand infections and 4600 lethal
cases. The epidemic soon turned into a pandemic and infected over 5 million
people worldwide killing 335 thousand. The US administration said China should
have let the world know about the contagion much sooner and questioned the
accuracy of the death toll in that country. China denied all allegations. 96
thousand people have been killed by the virus in the USA, the most affected
country in the world. 172 thousand fatalities were reported in Europe last
night out of a total number of 2 million infections.

REACTION The Romanian authorities have described as completely unacceptable the
latest statements by Ion Chicu, the Prime Minister of the Romanian-speaking
Republic of Moldova against Romania. In a Facebook post in which he rejects
criticism of the way in which he is handling the medical crisis and delayed
reforms, Chicu describes Romania as ‘having the biggest corruption in Europe’.
In turn, Romania’s Foreign Ministry says such statements are all the more so
inadequate as Romania has recently sent substantial medical aid to the Republic
of Moldova to help the latter deal with the pandemic. According to the same
sources, the statements are denoting a profound lack of respect for Romania, for
the privileged bilateral relations of strategic partnership for the country’s European
integration. Romania has pointed out that the implementation of the reforms
assumed through the Association Agreement with the European Union is not only
an obligation for the Republic of Moldova but also a guarantee of prosperity for
its citizens, which can be ensured only through sustained efforts of implementing
the rule of law and through democratic institutions.

INQUIRY The National Anti-Corruption Directorate in Bucharest has this week
announced it has been working on 33 files on the organization, distribution and
execution of public procurement contracts in the medical field during the
coronavirus pandemic. Prosecutors have observed ex officio in 25 cases.
According to chief prosecutor Crin Bologa, the cases involve decision-makers in
the institutions playing a major role in the procurement of medical equipment
and materials. An inquiry has been launched against some private companies and
state institutions.

REPATRIATION 394 Romanian citizens, together with 20 foreign nationals who are their
family members, have returned to Romania. According to the Romanian Foreign
Ministry, this is a new measure aimed at facilitating the access of the
Romanians who are living temporarily abroad and have been affected by the
protection measures and the air-traffic restrictions during the Covid pandemic.
Those repatriated were working on board of several cruise vessels off the North
American coast and the Caribbean. Their repatriation has been coordinated by
the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs by means of Romania’s embassies in
Washington and Havana and through Romania’s General Consulate in Miami.

(translated by bill)