January 2, 2020

A roundup of domestic and international news

România Internațional, 02.01.2021, 13:55

Covid-19 Ro. Almost 1,200 new cases of
people infected with SARS-CoV-2 were registered in 24 hours in Romania, following
4,400 tests run at national level, according to the latest data communicated by
the Strategic Communication Group. Most new cases of infection were registered
in Bucharest. So far, in Romania, over 637,000 cases of people infected with the
new coronavirus have been confirmed. According to the Group, another 78 deaths
were recorded in 24 hours due to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, bringing the total to
over 15,900. 1,117 patients are in intensive care. The number of Romanians
vaccinated with the vaccine produced by Pfizer-BioNTech, the only one approved
so far in the European Union, is close to 12,000. Since December 27, when the immunization of
the medical staff started, there have been 26 minor side effects, the National
Center for the Coordination of the Vaccination Campaign has announced.
Authorities have again called on people to get information from official
sources about the COVID vaccination campaign and have drawn attention to the
circulation of fake news on the subject

Pandemic. The number of SARS CoV-2
infections has exceeded 84.4 million worldwide, according to a report by
worldometers.info. More than 1.8 million people have died from Covid-19. The
United States is the most affected, with over 20 million cases of infection.
Federal authorities are trying to speed up vaccinations and counter a more
infectious variant of the virus, which has already appeared in Colorado,
California and Florida. India, which has more than 10 million cases of
infection, conducted vaccination simulations across the country on Saturday before
launching a massive immunization campaign against the new coronavirus. In
Europe, France is extending the traffic ban in 15 departments of the country to
combat the spread of the virus. Any non-essential travel was banned throughout
France between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., but, starting on Saturday, the restriction
will apply from 6 p.m. in the 15 departments.

Education. In Romania, the education
digitalization strategy, developed by a group of specialists, is under public
consultation, until February 15th. The document aims, among other things, at
having 90% of Romania’s population able
to work with computers at an average level, which means, according to the strategy,
digitally literate. It is also aimed at equipping all educational units in
Romania with infrastructure and technological resources, adapted to permanent
changes. At this time, digital skills are included at the secondary level. The
document is posted on the edu.ro and smart.edu.ro websites of the Ministry of
Education.

Brexit. The Romanian government has launched an online platform at
brexit.gov.ro with all the details regarding the changes that have taken place
in the relationship with Great Britain, which, from January 1, 2021, is no
longer part of the European Union. The information is structured in five
categories: business environment, transport, mobility, customs regulations and
justice. Some of the most important and costly changes are for Europeans who
want to work or study in the UK from now on. Those who want to work in the UK
will need a visa. Visas will have to be paid and awarded on the basis of a score
that requires the applicant to have a job offer from a recognized British
company, on an annual salary of at least £ 25,600, and a good knowledge of
English. Romanian and European students who want to study in the UK from the
next academic year will also need visas, and tuition fees will be considerably
higher. Until last year, European students paid the same tuition fees as their
British counterparts and had access to bank loans to finance their studies.
Citizens of the European Union who want to visit the United Kingdom for tourism
purposes do not need a visa if their stay is not longer than 6 months. Persons
with criminal convictions of more than one year in prison may be denied entry
into the United Kingdom.

Funds. Romanians returning from work abroad
can obtain European funds of 40,000 or 50,000 euros for farms in the country
through the financing line Support for the settling of young
farmers. The Agency for Financing Rural Investments officially holds a
new call for projects between January 4
and May 4. The financial allocation for this session is 20 million Euro.

Agriculture. Romania’s total grain
production decreased, last year, to almost half, compared to 2019, due to the
extreme pedological drought that affected some agricultural areas in the
country. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, just over 17 million tons
were harvested, compared to 30 million tons in 2019. The largest decline was
recorded in corn, about 45%, and a decrease of
almost 41% was recorded for wheat. The only crop that recorded an
increase in production in 2020 was rye, the harvest being 26% higher than the
previous year. (M. Ignatescu)