COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – Barber
\nshops, dental clinics and museums across Romania will reopen on May 15, after
\nbeing shut down due to the coroanvirus pandemic. People will also be able to
\nmove around the city without a signed declaration. President Klaus Iohannis
\nyesterday spoke about these measures, saying the state of emergency will be
\nreplaced with a state of alert, which will allow the authorities to keep the
\nsituation in check. Meanwhile the COVID-19 death toll in Romania has reached
\n827 people, while the number of confirmed cases now stands at 13,800. 5,500
\npeople have recovered. Health Minister Nelu Tataru says the pandemic could
\nreach its peak at the end of the week. According to the Government’s Group for
\nStrategic Communication, some 2,400 Romanian nationals living abroad have
\ntested positive for coronavirus, mostly in Italy. Of them 96 have died to the
\nvirus.<\/p>\n
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COVID-19 IN THE WORLD – Italy, the
\nfirst country in the world to impose total quarantine for the entire population
\ndue to the coronavirus pandemic, has started easing restrictions. For the
\nsecond day in a row, the number of deaths is below 200, while the total number
\nof confirmed cases stands at some 100,000. As of today, 4.5 million Italians
\nhave returned to work. Until May 17, Italians can move around the city only for
\nwork, health problems, to shop or to visit their relatives, while observing
\nsocial distancing measures. The British Government is also expected to announce
\na gradual lifting of restrictions this week. According to the BBC, the measures
\nwill include spaced-out working hours for employees, while preserving telework
\nwhere possible over the coming weeks, possibly months. In France, the
\nGovernment’s plans for a gradual return to normal life starting May 11 have
\nbeen met with political criticism. The right-wing Senate has voted against the
\nGovernment’s relaxation plan, although the vote is purely consultative, bearing
\nno effect on the implementation of the strategy already approved last week in the
\nNational Assembly. Over 250,000 people have died worldwide since the beginning
\nof the outbreak in December last year in China. <\/p>\n
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MEETING – President Klaus Iohannis is today meeting
\nwith representatives of the business sector to discuss economic recovery
\nmeasures. In yesterday’s press conference, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban
\npresented a series of economic measures, which include subsidizing up to 41.5%
\nof salaries, representing the income tax and contributions to national schemes.
\n Over the coming period the Government
\nwill launch a support program for large companies, patterned on the SME Invest assistance
\nprogram. <\/p>\n
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TOURISM – Arrivals and
\nbookings in accommodation units across Romania have dropped by nearly 70% in
\nMarch compared to the same period in 2019, the National Statistics Institute
\nreports. The average stay for March was 2 days for Romania tourists and 2.1
\ndays for foreign tourists. Additionally, compared to March, 2019, the number of
\nforeign tourists who entered the country dropped by over 50%, standing at some
\n410,000 people, while the number of Romanians who left the country stood at 653,000
\npeople, a 56% drop. <\/p>\n
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GLOBAL RESPONSE – The European
\nCommission yesterday organized a video-conference aimed at raising funds to
\nsupport the development of a COVID-19 vaccine. Commission President Ursula von
\nder Leyen hailed the exemplary response of the international community. Over
\nthe course of a few hours some 7.4 billion euros were raised. Madonna, the Bill
\nand Melinda Gates Foundation, in addition to heads of state and government and
\ninternational organizations promised to make donations. The European Commission
\nwill donate 1 billion euros, France and Germany also contributing 500 million
\neuros each. The European Investment Bank promised important funds and a large
\nplan for investment. China will be donating over 45 million euros, while South
\nAfrica over a billion. The United States did not take part in the Global
\nResponse initiative, given its open conflict with the World Health Organization
\nand China, who want to develop vaccines of their own. French President Emmanuel
\nMacron and King Abdullah of Jordan have warned the development of a universal
\nvaccine against COVID-19 is not a competition, but should involve cooperation. <\/p>\n
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(Translated by V.
\nPalcu)
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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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