September 24, 2020
A news roundup
Newsroom, 24.09.2020, 13:55
Corona Ro — Following tests conducted at national level, 1,639 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection have been reported in Romania as against the latest reporting. 41 people have died taking the death toll to 4,591. 506 persons infected with the new coronavirus are in ICUs. The health minister Nelu Tataru announced that 103 million face masks have been distributed across the country for the disadvantaged. He added that he did not expect a new state of emergency to be declared, which would force people to isolate themselves in their homes, and urged people to observe the rules for preventing the spread of the new coronavirus. Minister Tataru warned that if people failed to observe the rules the number of cases of infection would definitely grow.
Corona world — There are more than 32 million cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection around the world, with 980 thousand people having been killed by the virus, shows worldometers.info. In France, the daily rise in the number of infections has brought restrictions back. The health minister Olivier Véran says the situation has worsened in the past two weeks, the spread of the virus being more intense in big urban agglomerations. Marseille and its metropolitan area are currently on high alert and as of Monday firm restrictions have been implemented for at least 2 weeks: bars, restaurants and cafes were closed as well as other public areas, with several exceptions, and most people returned to working from home. In Spain, the Spanish doctors are preparing for protests after asking the government for many months, but to no avail though, to adopt further measures and allot more resources to avoid the collapse of the public health system extremely pressured by the coronavirus pandemic. In Israel the coronavirus ministerial committee considers necessary a total lockdown starting on Friday, due to the big number of infections.
Meeting — The Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu is participating today in the e-meeting of the foreign ministers of the Central European Initiative hosted by Montenegro, which is the incumbent president of the organization. The participants are looking into the preliminary results of the efforts made at national, regional and European levels to manage the COVID-19 pandemic and into the prospects for social and economic recovery for the 17 member states. The Central European Initiative is a political platform that contributes to connecting the countries neighboring the EU to the Union’s values and standards. Romania joined the Central European Initiative on June 1, 1996.
Football — Romania’s football champions CFR Cluj (northwest) are playing today away from home against the Swedish team Djurgaarden fighting for a place in the Europa League play-offs. Also Cup holders FCSB from Bucharest are trying to reach the playoffs for the groups of the second continental competition, but their mission seems impossible. Most of the FCSB footballers are sick with the new coronavirus and the team will be improvised for the match on home turf to be played against Slovan Liberec.
Tennis — 5 tennis players from Romania, who won on Tuesday and Wednesday in the first qualifying round for the main table of the singles competition of the grand slam tournament in Roland Garros, are today playing in the second round. Elena Ruse (178 WTA) will be up against the American Francesca Di Lorenzo (134 WTA), and Irina Bara (163 WTA) will play against the British Harriet Dart (150 WTA). Monica Niculescu (141 WTA), 14th seeded will play the Bulgarian Eliţa Kostova (212 WTA). Jaqueline Cristian (166 WTA) faces Nadia Podoroska (130 WTA), while Laura Ioana Paar (199 WTA) will play against the Ukrainian Marta Kostiuk 2nd seed (119 WTA). 5 Romanian players have entered the main table directly Simona Halep (top seed), Patricia Ţig, Irina Begu, Sorana Cîrstea and Ana Bogdan.
Belarus — The US does not consider Aleksandr Lukashenko as the legitimate president of Belarus, said Wednesday the US State Department representative after Lukashenko was secretly sworn in for a 6th consecutive term in office as president of the state, France Press reports. The election of August 9 was neither free nor fair and the announced results were rigged and do not give any legitimacy to the winner, said a spokesperson for the American diplomacy as quoted by FP. The EU does not recognize the result of the presidential election in Belarus either. (tr. L. Simion)
