August 4, 2020 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news.
Newsroom, 04.08.2020, 20:00
CASE – The Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) announced on Tuesday that they re-opened the criminal prosecution against the former Gendarmerie heads in relation to the violent incidents at the August 10, 2018 street protest in Bucharest. The decision was taken following a request in this respect signed by over 57 thousand people. The case had been partially dismissed, as prosecutors said there was no evidence of an attempted coup, and also no evidence that the repression of the protest has been premeditated. The decision scandalized civil society and the protesters’ representatives, who have filed an appeal. The protest organized in Bucharests Victory Square on August 10, 2018, ended violently after a brutal intervention of the riot police and the gendarmes. They used tear gas and water cannons to clear the square, with peaceful protesters, journalists, and even tourists injured during their intervention. The protest was supposed to bring Romanians from abroad and those in the country together to state their dissatisfaction with the former ruling coalition controlled by the Social Democrat Party (PSD).
MEETING – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis will meet with Government representatives on Wednesday to discuss the opening of the new school and university year. According to the President, the opening of the school year will be different now, as the pandemic will not go away by September. Iohannis mentioned the solution of hybrid classes, with students in the classroom and also online courses.
CORONAVIRUS – The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Romania since the start of the pandemic 5 months ago is now over 55,000, and the authorities announced 1,232 new cases in the last 24 hours. The death toll stands at 2,480, with a record-high number of deaths reported on Tuesday—48. More than 7,771 people are hospitalised, 436 of them in intensive care. Of the Romanians living abroad, 5,571 have tested positive for COVID-19, most of them in Germany and Italy, but the number of deaths stays at 123. The health minister Nelu Tătaru warns that Romania is at a stage of extensive community spread of the virus, and says that unless protection rules are observed, intensive care units will be overwhelmed, and what happened in Italy and Spain in March and April may well happen in Romania now. Nelu Tătaru added that public healthcare directorates, which are at the frontline of epidemiological triage, have enough staff after the posting of school doctors and nurses.
PANDEMIC – Meanwhile, the total number of Covid-19 cases worldwide has reached 18.5 million, and the number of deaths is over 697,000, according to Johns Hopkins University. Figures are also on the rise as regards the number of patients having recovered since the start of the pandemic—nearly 11.7 million. At present Latin America and the Caribbean are reporting more than 5 million cases and 200,000 deaths. Columbia now comes before the UK to 10th place in the world in terms of the number of infections. The US, Brazil, India, Russia and South Africa are the hardest hit countries. In Europe, Spain and France are introducing compulsory face covering outdoors as well, in a move to avoid complete lockdown. Tourists traveling to Greece have to wear protection masks both inside, and on the decks of the ferries taking them to the islands. World Health Organisation officials warn that a miraculous solution for the novel coronavirus may never be found, although research for a vaccine is beginning to yield results.
CORRUPTION – The former head of the National Water Management Agency Victor Sandu has been taken into custody by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate for bribe-taking. He is probed into for reportedly receiving one million euros in bribes for earmarking the funds required for the provision of services by a specific private company. A businessman is also being detained in the same investigation, under charges of bribe-giving, while the managers of 2 private companies are under court supervision. Specifically, the former agency director received the money for a number of river management contracts in Bihor County. Two companies controlled by an associate of Victor Sandu issued invoices for goods and services that were never actually provided. (Translated by E. Enache)
