COVID 19 Another 4 people have been killed by the new coronavirus in Romania
\nraising the total number of fatalities to 1170. The number of deaths caused by
\nthe new coronavirus has constantly dropped this week and the number of people
\ncured was higher than the number of infections. Nearly 11200 people have been
\ncured out of the 17850 infected, which accounts for 63 percent. The number of
\nquarantined has gradually diminished by one third since the beginning of the
\nweek. However, the number of those in home isolation has significantly grown
\nagainst the relaxation measures for the Romanian nationals who lived abroad and
\nnow are coming back to Romania. The national test rate stood at 10 thousand
\ntests a day. Yesterday, the town hall of Bucharest launched an online platform part
\nof a free campaign aimed at testing people for the new coronavirus. A first
\ngroup of 11 thousand Bucharesters will be tested as part of this campaign and
\nthe municipality is to commence a medical survey during which another 10,500 Bucharesters
\nwill be invited to take the test. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
PANDEMIC China hasn’t reported any Covid infection today for the first time
\nsince Beijing started publishing data about the pandemic, in January. The
\noutbreak was identified in the province of Wuhan, central China, late last
\nyear and the latest toll reported was 83 thousand infections and 4600 lethal
\ncases. The epidemic soon turned into a pandemic and infected over 5 million
\npeople worldwide killing 335 thousand. The US administration said China should
\nhave let the world know about the contagion much sooner and questioned the
\naccuracy of the death toll in that country. China denied all allegations. 96
\nthousand people have been killed by the virus in the USA, the most affected
\ncountry in the world. 172 thousand fatalities were reported in Europe last
\nnight out of a total number of 2 million infections. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
REACTION The Romanian authorities have described as completely unacceptable the
\nlatest statements by Ion Chicu, the Prime Minister of the Romanian-speaking
\nRepublic of Moldova against Romania. In a Facebook post in which he rejects
\ncriticism of the way in which he is handling the medical crisis and delayed
\nreforms, Chicu describes Romania as ‘having the biggest corruption in Europe’.
\nIn turn, Romania’s Foreign Ministry says such statements are all the more so
\ninadequate as Romania has recently sent substantial medical aid to the Republic
\nof Moldova to help the latter deal with the pandemic. According to the same
\nsources, the statements are denoting a profound lack of respect for Romania, for
\nthe privileged bilateral relations of strategic partnership for the country’s European
\nintegration. Romania has pointed out that the implementation of the reforms
\nassumed through the Association Agreement with the European Union is not only
\nan obligation for the Republic of Moldova but also a guarantee of prosperity for
\nits citizens, which can be ensured only through sustained efforts of implementing
\nthe rule of law and through democratic institutions. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
INQUIRY The National Anti-Corruption Directorate in Bucharest has this week
\nannounced it has been working on 33 files on the organization, distribution and
\nexecution of public procurement contracts in the medical field during the
\ncoronavirus pandemic. Prosecutors have observed ex officio in 25 cases.
\nAccording to chief prosecutor Crin Bologa, the cases involve decision-makers in
\nthe institutions playing a major role in the procurement of medical equipment
\nand materials. An inquiry has been launched against some private companies and
\nstate institutions. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
REPATRIATION 394 Romanian citizens, together with 20 foreign nationals who are their
\nfamily members, have returned to Romania. According to the Romanian Foreign
\nMinistry, this is a new measure aimed at facilitating the access of the
\nRomanians who are living temporarily abroad and have been affected by the
\nprotection measures and the air-traffic restrictions during the Covid pandemic.
\nThose repatriated were working on board of several cruise vessels off the North
\nAmerican coast and the Caribbean. Their repatriation has been coordinated by
\nthe Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs by means of Romania’s embassies in
\nWashington and Havana and through Romania’s General Consulate in Miami. <\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
(translated by bill)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":75903,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[31164,35540,35339,35539,35416],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-104350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsflash","tag-campaign","tag-chicu","tag-coronavirus","tag-ex-officio","tag-pandemic"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n