September 23, 2021 UPDATE

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Newsroom, 23.09.2021, 20:00

COVID-19 The COVID-19 epidemic stays on an upward
trend in Romania. Thursday was the second consecutive day with more than 7,000 new
cases in 24 hours (7,095 new cases out of nearly 54,000 tests). The largest
number of infections is reported in the capital Bucharest. The number of Covid
patients in intensive care is now over 1,000, a situation last seen in early
May in Romania, and the number of coronavirus-related deaths was 113. Over
300 towns and villages in the country are now on the red list of places where
the infection rate is over 3 per thousand. Meanwhile, the total number of vaccine doses
administered to Romanians went over 10 million on Thursday.

MEASURES The COVID digital certificate remains a requirement for
access to indoor events in places with infection rates of over 3 per thousand, and
it will be compulsory for children over 12, instead of over 6 as originally
stipulated. Another measure allows businesses to stay open after 6pm, in places
with infection rates between 3 and 6 per thousand. A night curfew will be in
place over weekends wherever the infection rate is over 6 per thousand, and
throughout the week in places with infection rates above 7.5 per thousand. PM
Florin Cîţu also announced today that vaccinated people will be allowed to
leave their homes without a sworn statement in places under curfew or lockdown.
Meanwhile, an emergency order on the COVID
digital certificate has been endorsed by the Senate and is next to be discussed
in the Chamber of Deputies. The digital certificate was created at EU level to
facilitate free travel during the pandemic. The document, which includes a QR
code, certifies that the holder has been vaccinated, recovered from the disease
or tested negative for COVID.

AMBASSADOR
Romania has been a candidate for accession to the Visa Waiver programme for
almost 15 years, said the new Romanian ambassador to Washington, Andrei Muraru,
who mentioned that there are only three EU member states whose citizens need a
short-stay visa on US territory. According to Andrei Muraru, the visa rejection
rate is currently at a fairly high level, around 10%, but he pointed out that
Romanian and US authorities are working to bring it down to the maximum 3% allowed
for the Visa Waiver. The Romanian ambassador to the US also said that an
information campaign will be organized in Bucharest for citizens to find out
how they can apply for a visa, why their applications are turned down and why
they should not apply if they do not meet the criteria set by the American
side.

NAVY The
Romanian Navy’s Vice-admiral Constantin Bălescu Minelayer will take part in
the EUNAVFOR MED operation Irini, in the Mediterranean Sea, between
the 1st of October and the end of this year. Romanian marines will
ensure compliance with the arms embargo enforced by the UN on Libya. The
mission also targets illegal trafficking in oil products, drugs and people, by
monitoring sea traffic and inspections of suspicious vessels in the
Mediterranean. A combat diver unit is on board, and the 85 crew members have
been tested, vaccinated against COVID-19 and isolated in Romanian Navy
facilities prior to the operation.

INSURANCE The government passed an emergency order enabling drivers who need to
have their cars repaired under an insurance policy issued by City Insurance to
receive their claims more quickly under the Insurance Guarantee Fund. They will
no longer have to wait for a court to declare the company bankrupt. When its
license was cancelled, City Insurance had 3 million civil liability policies
issued to car owners. The Prosecutor General’s Office Thursday had documents
seized from the company headquarters, as part of a criminal investigation
following a complaint filed by the Financial Supervising Authority.

INFRINGEMENT The European Commission Thursday sent Romania and Poland letters of
formal notice for not correctly incorporating certain aspects of the Offshore
Safety Directive into their legal systems. These letters of formal notice are
actually the official start of the infringement procedure. Romania and Poland
have two months to address the shortcomings, otherwise the Commission may decide to
send a reasoned opinion. Also on Thursday, the
Commission took measures against 19 member states, Romania included, for
failing to take the necessary steps to ensure their citizens benefit from the
EU audio-visual mass media and telecoms legislation. (tr. A.M. Popescu)