November 10, 2020

A look at some of the main stories in Romania today.

Newsroom, 10.11.2020, 13:55

Coronavirus Romania. Romania’s
president Klaus Iohannis is holding a fresh meeting to assess the measures
taken by the authorities to manage the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the
president’s office, the meeting will be attended by prime minister Ludovic
Orban, the healthcare and defence ministers, the head of the department for
emergency situations, the managers of several hospitals and representatives of
family doctors. Romania saw 7,304 new infections and 177 new deaths on Tuesday, so a total of 314,295 people have been infected
since the start of the pandemic. A record 1,093 people
are receiving hospital treatment in intensive care. Epidemiologist and researcher Octavian Jurma
believes the new restrictions in place as of Monday are not enough to lead to a
significant drop in the number of new cases and that harsher measures are
needed.

Coronavirus world. Global
coronavirus infections pass 51.2 million, while the death toll is nearing 1.3
million. The United States is the worst hit country in the world. In Europe,
which is nearing 13 million cases, national governments are struggling to
contain the pandemic. Hungary has announced a partial lockdown for the next 30
days. In France, the police are conducting checks on the streets to verify
compliance with the restrictions. Many French high school teachers are on strike today to call for more
efficient measures. In Italy, doctors are saying the situation is getting out
of control and are asking the government to impose a full lockdown. Meanwhile
the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer has announced that an experimental
vaccine it is currently developing offers 90% protection against Covid-19.

Protest. Members of Sanitas federation of trade unions in the field of healthcare is picketing the government building in Bucharest to protest against
the authorities’ lack of reaction to the requests for financial, staff and
logistical assistance. A week ago, dozens of trade union members in the
healthcare and social assistance areas held a first protest against what they
described as the authorities’ incoherent crisis strategies for handling the
pandemic. Sanitas decided to hold such protests outside the government building
every Tuesday until the right measures are taken.

Markets. The Chamber of Deputies has passed
an amendment stipulating that during the state of alert produce markets held in
enclosed spaces and other market-type places are to remain open, while
complying with hygiene and social distancing measures in place. The document
will next be submitted to the president to be signed. Romanian market traders
are unhappy with the government’s decision to close indoor produce markets as
part of efforts to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. Local authorities
around the country have had to come up with alternative solutions to keep the
markets open. To this end, windows have been removed and stalls moved outdoors,
onto pavements, in open tents or the wooden stalls used for Christmas and
Easter markets. Another proposed solution is mobile markets which only operate
on given days. However, market traders are saying that their goods are
perishable and difficult to store.

NATO. The Romanian foreign
ministry and NATO are today hosting in online format NATO’s annual conference
on weapons of arms destruction arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation.
The event marks 50years since the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation
of Nuclear Weapons entered into force and provides a framework of discussion in
the run-up to the review conference of this treaty due in August next year.
Today’s event is attended, among others, by the Romanian foreign minister
Bogdan Aurescu, NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg and the UN under-secretary-general of
disarmament affairs Izumi Nakamitsu.

Black Sea. The department for
sustainable development in the Romanian government is today hosting a top level
online conference of member states of the Organisation of the Black Sea
Economic Cooperation. Talks focus on transport in the context of the
coronavirus pandemic, the environment and green energy, sustainable economic
development and competition. This year, Romania is holding the rotating
presidency of this Organisation for the 6th time. (CM)