March 20, 2020

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 20.03.2020, 13:56

COVID-19 Romania In about 10 days we will be able to predict the peak of the coronavirus epidemic in Romania, the health minister Victor Costache told a private TV station on Thursday night. He added that the authorities are unable to make this estimate at present because it depends on the number of Romanians returning from abroad. Costache explained that if the number of cases reaches 4,000, which is the maximum that the Romanian healthcare system can handle, the patients with mild forms of the disease will be treated at home. The authorities will announce new restrictions in the coming days, Victor Costache also said. Meanwhile, the government has announced tougher penalties for thwarting efforts to combat the epidemic and for false representations in relation to the COVID-19. The decision comes after fines and scores of criminal investigations have been initiated against people who disregarded self-isolation rules or lied about coming from red zones in order to avoid the quarantine. The new penalties go as far as to 15 years in prison. So far 308 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in Romania, with 2 patients in critical condition.

COVID-19 world The total death toll of the coronavirus pandemic has gone over 10,000 today, according to the latest data made public by the John Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering in the US. A total of 10,030 people out of 244,517 confirmed cases died from the novel coronavirus disease. Italy reports the largest number of deaths, over 3,400. Other countries with significant death figures include China, Iran, Spain, France, the US and Britain. Whereas China reports no new locally transmitted cases, and the new cases are citizens coming from abroad, in Europe the situation continues to worsen. The EU has closed its borders for foreign citizens and banned all non-essential travel in the Schengen area, to slow down the spreading of the disease. EU leaders will hold a new conference call on March 26 to discuss the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic. On the same day, the European Parliament intends to increase the aid package planned by the Union for the business environment. The European Central Bank has already announced 750 billion euros in emergency funds will be channelled into government and private debt, in an attempt to contain the economic effects of the pandemic. Estimates point to a possible 5% drop of the Eurozone GDP this year.

RADIO Radio Romania News and Current affairs and all public radio stations in Europe broadcast the song Youll Never Walk Alone as a show of unity amid the COVID-19 pandemic. European broadcasters aired today the Gerry and The Pacemakers piece simultaneously, urging people to stay at home in order to help contain the pandemic. Known as an anthem of Liverpool football club, among others, the song You’ll Never Walk Alone was written in 1945 and has been covered by many artists over the years.

PRAYER Catholics around the world Thursday night joined Pope Francis in prayer for an end to the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more people in Italy then in any other part of the world, Reuters reports. Italian bishops urged Catholics in the country to light candles in the windows and pray at home, as a sign of unity and solidarity. The initiative was announced early this week and was disseminated by social media around the world. The Pope is self-isolating at the Vatican. Last Sunday he walked on Romes empty streets to pray in 2 churches for an end to the pandemic. The Vatican announced that for the first time, the Easter mass will be held without public participation.

FILM The Cannes Film Festival will most likely be postponed to June or July over COVID-19 concerns, the organisers have announced. The 73rd Cannes Festival was scheduled to take place between May 12 and 23. Hollywood will no longer make public box office figures, after theatres have been closed down in many countries, making last weekend the worst in 2 decades in this respect. Over the past few days the US, Canada, UK, Italy, France, South Korea closed down cinema halls due to restrictions concerning indoor events, while theatres in China, Hollywoods biggest foreign market, have been closed for weeks because of the pandemic.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)