November 12, 2020

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 12.11.2020, 13:55

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – New negative records were reported in
Romania- 203 patients died in the course of 24 hours, and 1,092 patients are
in intensive care. The number of daily infections in Romania was also very close to 10,000
on Wednesday, most of them reported in Bucharest and Cluj County. Also on
Wednesday some 6,600 people recovered in a single day, a new record since the
start of the pandemic. Over half of the counties are reporting infection rates of 3 per thousand inhabitants. The highest infection rate is reported in Sibiu
County, 7.19, while the city of Sibiu has exceeded 11 per thousand inhabitants,
with the authorities expected to introduce a lockdown. Other cities across the
country have also asked for similar measures.

COVID-19 IN THE WORLD – The global number of COVID
infections stands at 52.5 million, while 1.3 million people have died to the
pandemic. The United States remains the most affected country, although the
situation in Europe has taken a turn for the worse. German Chancellor Angela
Merkel spoke of a second wave of the pandemic, far worse than the first, while
Italy is considering the introduction of a wider lockdown. The situation in
hospitals in this country is critical. Several other European countries have
pinned their hopes on mass immunization. Yesterday the European Commission signed a contract with the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer for the
purchase of 300 million anti-COVID vaccine shots. Health officials insist,
however, that the first vaccines will be administered no sooner than the first
quarter of 2021. The Commission has also advanced a number of proposals to
create a European Health Union.

GOVERNMENT – The Government is today convening to decide on
extending the state of alert by another 30 days. Liberal Prime Minister Ludovic
Orban on Monday told Parliament that his Cabinet is preparing a decree in this
respect and doesn’t want to add further restrictions. High on Thursday’s
Government meeting is a series of decrees on the management of European funds
for next year, as well as the strategy for developing rail infrastructure over
the next five years. Talks are also focusing on a decision to allocate funds for
the payment of additional monthly benefits for coal workers in the Jiu Valley
who’ve been made redundant. Cabinet Ministers are also to approve the 2021
budget of the State Treasury.

PROTEST – The Health Solidarity trade federation is today
holding a new protest in Bucharest to defend the rights of health workers.
Unionists demand measures to protect employees in the health sector that would
lead to a significant drop in the number of infections and deaths caused by
COVID-19. Unionists also want survivors’ benefits in the case of workers who
die to work-related hazards, increasing the hazard bonus to 30% and adding
another bonus for their efforts to combat the pandemic, as well as an increase
in their base salaries starting January 1, 2021, tantamount to the level
estimated for 2022.

VISIT – Defense Minister Nicolae Ciucă and the Chief of
General Staff Liutenant-General Daniel Petrescu met in Bucharest with US Navy
Secretary Kenneth J J. Braithwaite as part of the American official’s visit to
Romania. Talks tackled bilateral cooperation, joint projects of the Naval
Forces, security developments in the Black Sea region and hot topics on the
NATO agenda. The US official will also visit the 99 Military Base in Deveselu,
the 57 Air Base in Mihail Kogălniceanu and military units of the Romanian Naval
Forces in the port of Constanţa.

FORUM – Bucharest, one of the most polluted capital cities
in the EU, is today playing host to the Green Energy virtual forum, an event
bringing together foreign and local experts from the automotive industry and
energy sector, seeking urban planning ecological solutions adapted to the
current context. The intense urban pollution, with serious consequences from
respiratory disease to death, is a reality that makes the European Green Deal
key to eliminating carbon gas emissions by 2050, organizers have said. The
forum will focus on three perspectives: solutions, investment and renewable
energy prospects, from photovoltaic panels and solar windows to charging
stations and electric transport for individuals and the public.

(Translated by V. Palcu)