COVID-19
\n– Some 900 new cases of SARS CoV-2 have been reported in the last 24 hours in
\nRomania, taking the total number of infections to some 96.000. The official
\ndeath toll has exceeded 3.900. 465 patients are currently in intensive care.
\n6.600 Romanians living abroad have tested positive for COVID-19, mostly in
\nGermany, Italy and Spain. Of these 126 have died. <\/p>\n
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\n
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<\/p>\n
CAMPAIGN
\n– The campaign for the local election due on September 27 continues in Romania
\nwith the observance of measures aimed at preventing the pandemic from
\nspreading. According to the Interior Ministry, face masks are compulsory, while
\nall people attending election events and meetings will undergo triage and will
\nhave to sanitize their hands. Access rules and individual health safety
\nmeasures will be publicly displayed. Participants will also have to observe the
\nminimum 1-meter distance. A maximum of 50 people are admitted for indoor
\nactivities for a maximum duration of 2 hours. In the case of outdoor events,
\nthe participation is limited to a hundred people. Candidates are vying for one
\nof the 41 positions of presidents of county councils, 3.200 mayor seats, 1.300
\ncounty councilmen and 40.000 local councilmen. Originally slated for June, the
\nlocal election was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, while the
\nmandates of local officials were extended by another six months. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
ELECTION
\n– The Permanent Election Authority on Monday announced some 3.032 Romanians
\nliving abroad have enrolled for postal voting, while 1.059 voters have registered
\nfor casting votes in the polls. The Authority recalls that eligible voters can
\nregister for physical or postal voting over April 1 – September 21. The
\npresident of the Permanent Election Authority, Constantin-Florin Mitule\u0163u-Buic\u0103
\nhas recommended all citizens in the diaspora opt for postal voting, the safest
\nway to cast their vote remotely, at zero costs and risks, all the more so in
\nthe given crisis generated by the coronavirus pandemic. <\/p>\n
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\n
\n
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DIPLOMACY
\n– ‘Increasing Romania’s role inside the EU and NATO and also consolidating and
\nexpanding the Strategic Partnership with the United States remain the key lines
\nin Romania’s foreign policy’, is the message conveyed by the country’s
\npresident, Klaus Iohannis at the Romanian Diplomacy Annual Meeting. According
\nto the president, in the wake of the pandemic crisis, the Romanian diplomacy is
\ngoing to embrace some new facets and that involves additional ingenuity and
\nflexibility. The present Annual Meeting of Romanian Diplomacy has been held
\nonline for the first time as videoconference and is going to last three days
\nunder the title, ‘The impact of the pandemic over the international tendencies
\nand the Romanian diplomacy response’. High on the agenda are the impact of the
\nmedical crisis over the international relations and global tendencies as well
\nas the adjustment of the Romanian diplomacy instruments in this context. The
\nguest list this year includes the head of the European diplomacy Josep Borrell
\nand NATO’s deputy secretary general, Romanian Mircea Geoana.<\/p>\n
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\n
\n
\n
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SCHOOL YEAR
\n– Romania’s Prime Minister Ludovic Orban has said the school year begins on
\nSeptember 14, at the same time underlining that people’s right to education is
\nfundamental. The Romanian official has explained local authorities are allowed
\nto establish their own scenarios depending on the epidemiological situation in
\ntheir region. In Bucharest the infection rate in the past two weeks has stood
\nat 1.19 per thousand, which places the capital city in the yellow zone and that
\nallows for the students’ return to schools. 43 localities have been placed in
\nthe red zone, where students are taking only online courses, while over 27
\nhundred localities are in the green zone, allowing normal school attendance.
\nThe Health Ministry will this week provide direction lines for the organization
\nof activity in education institutions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
BREXIT -
\nNegotiations on post-Brexit relations between the EU and the UK will resume on
\nTuesday in London. British chief negotiator for Brexit, David Frost, has
\nrecently said that London does not fear a failure in reaching an agreement on
\ntrade. On the other hand, EU chief negotiator for Brexit, Michel Barnier,
\nexpressed concern and disappointment with the progress of negotiations. The two
\nparties have only weeks at their disposal to settle the negotiations. According
\nto officials in Brussels, negotiations will end next month. If an agreement is
\nreached, Member States will require time to ratify it before taking effect on
\nJanuary 1, 2021, when the EU will officially leave the EU. <\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
(Translated
\nby D. Bilt & V. Palcu)<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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