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COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – New negative records were reported in
\nRomania- 203 patients died in the course of 24 hours, and 1,092 patients are
\nin intensive care. The number of daily infections in Romania was also very close to 10,000
\non Wednesday, most of them reported in Bucharest and Cluj County. Also on
\nWednesday some 6,600 people recovered in a single day, a new record since the
\nstart of the pandemic. Over half of the counties are reporting infection rates of 3 per thousand inhabitants. The highest infection rate is reported in Sibiu
\nCounty, 7.19, while the city of Sibiu has exceeded 11 per thousand inhabitants,
\nwith the authorities expected to introduce a lockdown. Other cities across the
\ncountry have also asked for similar measures. <\/p>\n
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COVID-19 IN THE WORLD – The global number of COVID
\ninfections stands at 52.5 million, while 1.3 million people have died to the
\npandemic. The United States remains the most affected country, although the
\nsituation in Europe has taken a turn for the worse. German Chancellor Angela
\nMerkel spoke of a second wave of the pandemic, far worse than the first, while
\nItaly is considering the introduction of a wider lockdown. The situation in
\nhospitals in this country is critical. Several other European countries have
\npinned their hopes on mass immunization. Yesterday the European Commission signed a contract with the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer for the
\npurchase of 300 million anti-COVID vaccine shots. Health officials insist,
\nhowever, that the first vaccines will be administered no sooner than the first
\nquarter of 2021. The Commission has also advanced a number of proposals to
\ncreate a European Health Union.<\/p>\n
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GOVERNMENT – The Government is today convening to decide on
\nextending the state of alert by another 30 days. Liberal Prime Minister Ludovic
\nOrban on Monday told Parliament that his Cabinet is preparing a decree in this
\nrespect and doesn’t want to add further restrictions. High on Thursday’s
\nGovernment meeting is a series of decrees on the management of European funds
\nfor next year, as well as the strategy for developing rail infrastructure over
\nthe next five years. Talks are also focusing on a decision to allocate funds for
\nthe payment of additional monthly benefits for coal workers in the Jiu Valley
\nwho’ve been made redundant. Cabinet Ministers are also to approve the 2021
\nbudget of the State Treasury.<\/p>\n
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PROTEST – The Health Solidarity trade federation is today
\nholding a new protest in Bucharest to defend the rights of health workers.
\nUnionists demand measures to protect employees in the health sector that would
\nlead to a significant drop in the number of infections and deaths caused by
\nCOVID-19. Unionists also want survivors’ benefits in the case of workers who
\ndie to work-related hazards, increasing the hazard bonus to 30% and adding
\nanother bonus for their efforts to combat the pandemic, as well as an increase
\nin their base salaries starting January 1, 2021, tantamount to the level
\nestimated for 2022. <\/p>\n
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VISIT – Defense Minister Nicolae Ciuc\u0103 and the Chief of
\nGeneral Staff Liutenant-General Daniel Petrescu met in Bucharest with US Navy
\nSecretary Kenneth J J. Braithwaite as part of the American official’s visit to
\nRomania. Talks tackled bilateral cooperation, joint projects of the Naval
\nForces, security developments in the Black Sea region and hot topics on the
\nNATO agenda. The US official will also visit the 99 Military Base in Deveselu,
\nthe 57 Air Base in Mihail Kog\u0103lniceanu and military units of the Romanian Naval
\nForces in the port of Constan\u0163a.<\/p>\n
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FORUM – Bucharest, one of the most polluted capital cities
\nin the EU, is today playing host to the Green Energy virtual forum, an event
\nbringing together foreign and local experts from the automotive industry and
\nenergy sector, seeking urban planning ecological solutions adapted to the
\ncurrent context. The intense urban pollution, with serious consequences from
\nrespiratory disease to death, is a reality that makes the European Green Deal
\nkey to eliminating carbon gas emissions by 2050, organizers have said. The
\nforum will focus on three perspectives: solutions, investment and renewable
\nenergy prospects, from photovoltaic panels and solar windows to charging
\nstations and electric transport for individuals and the public. <\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
(Translated by V. Palcu)<\/p>\n
\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":[35374,35858,35859,30168,33029,35514],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-104718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsflash","tag-covid-19","tag-health-protest","tag-kenneth-j-braithwaite","tag-ludovic-orban","tag-nicolae-ciuca","tag-state-of-alert"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n