June 7, 2020

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 07.06.2020, 14:00

COVID-19 IN
ROMANIA – Over 20.500 COVID-19 infections have been confirmed in Romania, 14.600
people have officially recovered and the latest death toll has climbed to
1.326. According to the Group for Strategic Communication, some 3.100 Romanians
living abroad have tested positive for the virus and 114 have died. In another
move, Health Minister Nelu Tataru said a potential second wave of the pandemic
will be less deadly than the first. It is the Romanian Health Minister’s belief
that life will return to quasi-normal parameters by late July – early August,
should the population continue observing precautionary regulations.

REPATRIATIONS – The Foreign Ministry says some 346
Romanian nationals were returned to Romania from France, Italy and Belgium on
June 5. The action was part of a wider series of efforts to repatriate
Romanians who have been affected abroad by COVID-19 measures and flight
restrictions. This action also helped 27 foreign citizens return to their home
countries, 22 French, 2 Canadian, 2 British and 1 from Cameroon, the Foreign
Ministry notes.

COVID-19 IN THE
WORLD – Some 7 million people all over the world have been infected with SARS
CoV2 while over 400 thousand people have died to the virus, Reuters reports.
Some 3.5 million people have recovered. Brazil, one of the countries gravely
affected by the virus, decided to eliminate all data regarding the evolution of
COVID-19 in this country from the official website that has been monitoring the
outbreak. President Jair Bolsonaro explained the figures do not reflect
reality. Brazil has the second-largest number of infections, some 667 thousand,
and has reported over 36 thousand deaths.

WORLD BANK – World Bank
President David Malpass said the current economic crisis spells catastrophe. In
an interview to the BBC, the World Bank official called on governments to start
implementing new systems that should restart economic growth. In a press
release, the World Bank estimates that over 60 million people risk earning no
more than 2$ a day as a result of the COVID-19 economic fallout. Restoring
prosperity, Malpass added, will involve building a favorable environment
allowing the creation of new jobs for people who’ve found themselves unemployed.
The World Bank official admitted the economic impact of this crisis could last
more than a decade.

PENTECOST – Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Christians around the world, including
Romania, on Sunday celebrated the Pentecost, marking the descent of the Holy
Spirit upon the Apostles of Jesus Christ, 50 days after Easter, as well as the
foundation of the early Christian Church. According to the New Testament, the
12 apostles received the Holy Spirit, which allowed them to speak languages
never before spoken. Peter’s sermon led to the baptism of three thousand souls.
Orthodox believers receive sanctified walnut leaves, symbolizing the flames of
the Holy Spirit resting on the heads of the Apostles. Thousands of tourists
enjoyed the Pentecost miniholiday in mountain or seacoast resorts or in the
Danube Delta, which according to travel agencies was 80% booked.

PROTESTS – A new round of violent protests swept the capital Washington and
other cities across the United States. People are disgruntled with police
brutality and racial injustice and want a far-reaching reform of the law-enforcement
system. The protests are in response to African-American George Floyd being
killed last month in a police action in Minnesota. According to our
correspondent on the ground, this was the 12th consecutive day of
protests. Protests were also staged in London, where over a thousand protesters
marched towards the US Embassy and a small number of protesters near
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Downing Street residence threw bottles at
police, and mounted officers charged to push them back. Thousands of protesters
gathered in Paris as well, despite a COVID-19 gathering ban. Similar actions
were staged in Berlin, Warsaw, Brisbane and Sydney. Thousands of activists,
some wearing black masks with the words I can’t breathe, also took to the
streets in South Korea, Japan and Thailand.

(Translated by V.
Palcu)