September 13, 2021

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 13.09.2021, 13:55

COVID-19 – Another
1,849 new cases of COVID-19 infection and 46 related fatalities were reported
on Monday in Romania, at the start of the new school year. According to the
Group for Strategic Communication, over 1,1 million people got infected since
the start of the outbreak, of whom some 35 thousand died. Over 5,200 people are
now being treated for COVID-19 in hospitals across Romania, 633 of whom in
intensive care. There are 860 beds available for COVID patients requiring
intensive care, and the authorities announced plans to supplement their number.
5.2 million Romanians have completed the full anti-COVID-19 vaccination scheme,
accounting for a third of the eligible population.

VOTE – Constitutional
Court judges expect the Government and Parliament to submit an opinion by
Wednesday, whereby explaining the alleged institutional conflict invoked by
Liberal Prime Minister Florin Cîţu in the case of the no-confidence motion
filed by the USR-PLUS alliance, a former junior coalition partner, and AUR, an
ultranationalist party in opposition. The Government claims the motion was
filed and communicated without observing the proper channels. Once it receives
the said opinion, the Constitutional Court will announce a date for examining
the merits of the case. The latter will also serve as a deadline for the
no-confidence vote. Parliament decreed that the motion will be debated only after
the Constitutional Court has issued a ruling in this matter. On the other hand,
the initiators of the motion want the motion to be voted on Tuesday, three days
after having been read in Parliament, as stipulated by internal regulations.

SCHOOL YEAR
– Nearly 3 million school and pre-school children are starting a new school
year today. The new year comprises 34 weeks, is divided in two semesters and is
due to close on June 11, 2022. Education Minister, Sorin Cîmpeanu, said on the
first day festivities are allowed with the participation of parents, although
face masks and physical distancing are compulsory. In certain areas of the
country, where the incidence rate has exceeded 6 per thousand inhabitants in
the last 14 days, children will start school online. There are also some
schools where repair works haven’t yet finished. Minister Sorin Cîmpeanu
expressed hope more children will get vaccinate once school begins, considering
the authorities are willing to set up mobile vaccination units that should immunize
children in schools.

INQUIRY -
Parliament’s special committee investigating the recent increase in energy
prices is due to start its activity this week. The committee was set up with
the support of all parliamentary groups, after this summer energy distributors
upped their prices by over 20%. Home consumers fear they will not be able to
cope with the mounting financial pressure in the cold season. An analysis
conducted by the National Statistics Institute shows that over 1 million
families were having trouble paying their electricity and gas bills before the
liberalization of the energy markets. Authorities have recently adopted a law
on vulnerable consumers, but experts believe it will not be enough.

POPE FRANCIS
– Pope Francis is paying an official visit to Slovakia until Wednesday. His
Holy Father previously paid a short visit to Budapest, where he called on
Hungary’s Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, to extend his arms towards everyone.
Today, the Pope is meeting members of the Jewish community in Slovakia,
including Holocaust survivors. On Tuesday, he will travel to the country’s poor
regions, to hold talks with representatives of the Roma community. On
Wednesday, he will return to Bratislava where he will celebrate an open-air
service. Slovakia is one the countries in the EU with the lowest rates of
anti-COVID vaccination. The Government originally decided that festivities
occasioned by the Pope’s visit should be accessible only to vaccinated people,
which sparked discontent. Finally, the access has been extended to people
presenting a negative test against COVID-19 or a certificate attesting they’ve
had the disease. (VP)