November 11, 2020

A look at some of the main stories in Romania today.

Newsroom, 11.11.2020, 13:55

Coronavirus Romania. President Klaus Iohannis
defended the new restrictions imposed by the government to contain the pandemic,
including the measure to close indoor markets. Severe restrictions are the only
way to keep the pandemic under control until a vaccine becomes available, he
said. Iohannis also said Romania has prepared a strategy for the immunisation
of the population against Covid-19. He said the possibilities for storing and
distributing different types of vaccine have already been analysed and the
institutions in charge have been established. 9,799 new cases were reported on Wednesday and
a record new 203 deaths, taking the death toll to 8,389.

Coronavirus world. Globally, coronavirus cases are nearing 52 million,
with 1.3 million fatalities. In Europe, a scientific adviser to the British
government estimated on Tuesday that two or three vaccines against Covid-19 may
become available by the start of 2021. This comes after the American
pharmaceutical company Pfizer and their German partners BioNTech said the
vaccine they are developing offers 90% protection against the virus. The
European Union announced plans to sign a contract to purchase almost 300
million doses. Meanwhile, Italy has imposed new restrictions as of today, as the
number of infections continues to rise and Italian doctors are asking for a
national lockdown. A state of alert came into force in Hungary and the US
reported a record more than 200,000 daily cases.

Inflation. The annual inflation rate dropped in Romania to 2.2% in
October from 2.5% in September. The price of food products grew by 4%, services
by 3% and non-food products by 0.6%, according to data published today by the
National Institute for Statistics. Potatoes, rents and leather footwear were
more expensive in October compared with September, while the price of citrus fruit,
refrigerators and air travel dropped. The annual inflation rate for the end of
the year and next year is estimated at 2.7% and 2.5%, respectively, according
to a report published by the National Bank of Romania.

Veterans. Military and religious ceremonies attended
by a restricted number of people were held today on Veterans Day in Bucharest
and in garrisons around the country. According to the defence ministry, 11th
November was declared Veterans Day because it is on this day in 1918 that a
truce was signed between the Entente powers and Germany that put an end to WWI
and paved the way for the Great Union of all Romanians on 1st
December that same year. 11th of November also has a symbolic
significance for the Romanian army, being the date when, in 2003, Romania lost
its first military in the theatre of operations in Afghanistan. Between 1996
and 2019, 30 Romanian soldiers were killed and over 200 wounded in various
international missions.

Initiative. A
citizens’ initiative entitled No more criminals in public office is on today’s
agenda of the Romanian Senate. The constitutional committee on Tuesday gave the
go ahead to this initiative aimed at revising the country’s Constitution, but
the legal committee is yet to publish its report. If the initiative is voted
into law, it means persons with criminal records can no longer be elected for
Parliament, hold leading positions in the administration and manage public
funds.

Tech fair. More than 1,500 digital business solutions for the retail,
IT, cyber security and marketing sectors are on show at the 9th
edition of the GoTech 2020: The New Reality exhibition and conference, held
online today and tomorrow and organised by Bucharest. The highlights include
new online experiences, the latest tech solutions and an exhibition space created
with 3D technology where visitors can interact with the exhibitors. The event
brings together 16,000 professionals and local and international companies and
is one of the most important in Central and Eastern Europe.

Football. Romania are playing Belarus tonight
in a friendly match at home in Ploiesti. Romania will next be playing in the
UEFA Nations League A Group 1 first against Norway on 15th November
at home and three days later against Northern Ireland away. Romania are
currently in third place in their group with 4 points, behind Norway and
Austria, who have 9 points each. Romania failed to qualify for the European
Championships next year after losing 1-2 to Iceland in a playoff match. (CM)