May 28, 2020

Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 28.05.2020, 14:16

ASCENSION Orthodox believers who are a majority in Romania and
Greek Catholics are today celebrating the Ascension of Christ from the Mount of
Olives in Jerusalem, 40 days after his resurrection. Since 1920, the Ascension has
also been celebrated as the Heroes’ Day. Religious and military services have
been held today in front of churches and monuments dedicated to Romania’s
heroes. In his address on this occasion Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis
said, quote: This special day in which we celebrate both our heroes and the
Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ has a special meaning for the Romanian
people. On this occasion we pay homage to the martyrs of the Romanian people
who made the supreme sacrifice for our existence. Iohannis has voiced
gratitude for the Romanian soldiers who died in the line of duty in various
operation theatres in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Western Balkans.

TALKS Romania’s Prime Minister Ludovic
Orban on Thursday talked over the phone with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The two high officials have mentioned the special strategic relations between
Romania and Germany and have agreed to carry on efforts to deepen these
relations. Also high on the talks agenda was the situation of the Romanian
temporary workers in Germany. The chancellor has voiced the consistent concern
of the officials in Berlin regarding the observation and protection of the
rights of the Romanian workers and has underlined the readiness for maintaining
a tight contact at all levels between the authorities of the two countries
following the latest visit paid to Germany by the Romanian Minister of Labour
and Social protection, Violeta Alexandru. The federal government has recently
initiated amendments to the domestic legislative framework in order to offer an
increased degree of protection for the rights of the Romanian employees.

PANDEMIC According to the John Hopkins
University the new coronavirus has infected 5.7 million of people worldwide and
the number of fatalities has exceeded 355 thousand. The situation has worsened in
Brazil, where the number of infections exceeds 410 thousand and there are 25
thousand fatalities. Brazil has thus become the world’s second most affected
country after the United States, which has 1.7 million people infected and 100
thousand fatalities. In Italy, the third most affected country in Europe, with
over 33 thousand fatalities, authorities have started to take fresh measures to
prevent a possible second wave of infections after they learnt that part of the
population does not comply with the social distancing measures. French Prime
Minister Edouard Phillipe is expected to present today the situation of the
pandemic and the measures taken by the government for the second stage of
relaxation due to begin on June 2nd. Spain is seeing the longest
period of national mourning in the country’s history to the memory of the 27
thousand people killed by the pandemic.

COVID 19 Another 197 Covid infections have been registered in Romania,
which has reported a total number of 18,791 infected persons, the authorities
announced on Thursday. 12,629 of those infected have been cured and left
hospitals, while 182 patients are in intensive care. Romania has so far
reported 1,229 fatalities. The Romanian president Klaus Iohannis has summoned a
new session of talks over the measures to handle the pandemic in Romania. The
talks are attended by the country’s Prime Minister Ludovic Orban, Interior
Minister Marcel Vela, the Health Minister Nelu Tataru, the Minister of the Economy
Virgil Popescu, Defence Minister Nicolae Ciuca and the head of the Department
for Emergency Situations Raed Arafat. The authorities are expected to announce
fresh relaxation measures starting June 1st.

REPATRIATIONS The Foreign Ministry in Bucharest has today announced that
64 Romanian nationals have been repatriated from France through the combined
efforts of several Romanian institutions. Among those repatriated are students
and their families who were unable to extend their stay in France. According to
the Foreign Ministry in Bucharest these repatriations are part of a measure
campaign taken by the Romanian authorities to facilitate the return to Romania
of the Romanian citizens abroad who were affected by the air travel restrictions
imposed by the efforts to contain the COVID pandemic.

(translated by bill)