\n
<\/p>\n
COVID-19
\nIN ROMANIA – The National Committee for Emergency Situations has proposed face
\nmasks should become compulsory in open-air spaces during certain intervals.
\nOnce public health directorates have issued an opinion on this matter, local
\nauthorities will decide where the measure will be introduced and during which
\nhours. Exempt from this rule will be people carrying out strenuous physical
\nactivity or working in areas with high temperatures and humidity, as well as
\nchildren under 5 years of age. The Committee also wants to ban the selling of
\nfoodstuffs and soft drinks during 11 PM and 6 AM. Outside this interval,
\neconomic operators are forbidden from admitting a number of clients higher than
\nthe maximum number of seats and must ban activities entailing physical
\ninteractions between clients. On beaches, people must observe a minimum
\ntwo-meter distance, with the exception of families. The Government has taken
\nunder advisement the Committee’s recommendations and will make a decision soon.
\nMeanwhile the number of new infections has exceeded 1.000 for the eighth
\nconsecutive day. Over 48.200 people have been infected so far. 7.000 people are
\nin hospital care, of whom 377 in intensive care. 2.269 people have died. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
COVID-19 IN THE WORLD – Nearly 17 million
\npeople have been infected so far with SARS CoV2 worldwide, the latest
\nworldometers.info report shows. Some 664 thousand people died and 10.5 million
\npeople have recovered. While efforts continue to develop a vaccine, several
\nGovernments are imposing harsher measures to prevent a second wave of the
\npandemic. The World Health Organization is urging countries to do mass-testing
\nand see that the population observes precautionary measures. The United States
\non Tuesday reported nearly 1.600 deaths, the highest in the last two and a half
\nmonths, reads a John Hopkins University report. Also on Tuesday the US reported
\n60.000 new infections, after a slight decrease in the last two days. Some 4.3
\nmillion people have been infected with COVID-19 in the United States, and 149.000
\npeople have died so far to the virus. In Europe, Italy has extended the state
\nof emergency until October 15. Great Britain has introduced compulsory
\nquarantine for all arrivals from Spain. Germany too has introduced some regions
\nof Spain on its so-called ‘black list’. Madrid is now the latest region in
\ncontinental Spain where face masks are compulsory in open spaces as well.
\nBulgaria is now demanding citizens from 10 states to provide proof of a
\nnegative test against COVID-19, which has to be no older than 72 hours at the
\ntime of entry. In Greece, face masks are again compulsory in stores, banks,
\npublic service buildings and in other enclosed spaces. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
FUNDS – Romania’s
\nPresident, Klaus Iohannis, is today holding a new meeting focusing on European
\nfunds. According to the Presidency, attending are several members of the
\nGovernment, including Prime Minister Ludovic Orban, Deputy-Prime Minister Raluca
\nTurcan, Finance Minister Florin Citu, Economy Minister Virgil Popescu, Minister
\nof European Funds Marcel Bolos and Transport Minister Lucian Bode. The
\nabsorption of European funds was also discussed in last week’s Government
\nmeeting in Bucharest. The president recently said that the \u20ac80 billion the
\nEuropean Commission has allotted Romania will be used for economic
\nreconstruction. The money will be disbursed from the 2021-2027 multi-annual EU
\nbudget and from the post-COVID-19 economic recovery plan. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
DEFENSE – Romania’s Defense
\nMinister, Nicolae Ciuca, and the Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant-General
\nDaniel Petrescu, today met with Lieutenant-General Eric P. Wendt, Commander of
\nthe NATO Special Operations Headquarters (NSHQ). According to a Ministry
\nrelease, talks focused on hot topics on the NATO agenda, including Allied
\nefforts to contain the coronacrisis. Minister Nicolae Ciuca hailed NSHQ’s
\nsubstantial contribution to Romanian military deployed to the Resolute Support
\nmission in Afghanistan. The Romanian official said cooperation is excellent
\nbetween NSHQ and Romanian forces, both during drills as well as in theatres of
\noperations. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
NATIONAL ANTHEM DAY – Every year, on
\nJuly 29, Romania celebrates National Anthem Day. This year the event is marked
\nby public authorities and other state institutions by means of specific
\ncultural events and actions and military ceremonies, organized bythe Ministries
\nof Defense and the Interior, while strictly observing COVID-prevention
\nmeasures. As part of ceremonies held in Bucharest and other large cities, the
\nnational anthem will be performed while the flag is being raised. This year,
\nfamous pan flute player Nicolae Voiculet will be performing the national
\nanthem, Awaken thee, Romanian! at 2.300 meters by the Heroes’ Cross in Bucegi
\nMountains, alongside 40 other artists. Celebrated on July 29, the National
\nAnthem Day was proclaimed in 1998. Romania’s current anthem, Awaken thee,
\nRomanian!, is considered a national symbol after the fall of the communist
\nregime in December 1989. On music by Anton Pann, the anthem was inspired by a
\npatriotic poem by Andrei Muresanu in 1848. <\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
(Translated
\nby V. Palcu)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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":[35666,35374,31109,28945,30663,35665,35667],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-104484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsflash","tag-coronacrisis","tag-covid-19","tag-european-funds","tag-klaus-iohannis","tag-national-anthem-day","tag-new-regulations","tag-nshq"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n