March 22, 2021 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news.
Bogdan Matei, 22.03.2021, 20:00
MOLDOVA – Moldova’s Constitutional Court on Monday ruled that the appointment of Igor Grosu as prime minister was constitutional. According to Radio Chisinau, the Court thus rejected the appeal of the Socialists’ Party, who contested President Maia Sandu’s decree. Following the ruling, the PM designate is to submit Parliament his governing programme and the cabinet makeup.
RESTRICTIONS – The decision to instate lockdown will be taken based on 6 indicators, among which the evolution of the number of cases, the infection rate and the testing capacity, State Secretary with the Health Ministry, Andreea Moldovan, said at the end of a meeting on modifying the criteria for lockdown. Imposing travel restrictions on weekends and extending the ones in place during the night, as well as limiting access to shopping centers were also discussed. According to Andreea Moldovan, testing will be made more accessible to all citizens. Previously, PM Florin Citu called on people to observe the rules and the measures imposed by the authorities, which, in his opinion, are among the most relaxed in the EU. The infection rate in the capital Bucharest gets close to 6 cases per one thousand people and may enter lockdown. Red zone restrictions have come into effect across Romania amid rising coronavirus cases. Red zone restrictions mean cinemas, theatres and performance venues are closed and private events such as wedding and baptism receptions and parties are banned in both outdoor and enclosed spaces.
EU – Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu on Monday attended a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. As regards relations with Russia, Aurescu hailed the quick implementation of the new restrictive measures under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime and the synchronization of the EU action with that of the US. Aurescu appreciated the recent visits of the European Council President, Charles Michel, to countries in the Eastern neighborhood — Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia — saying an important political message has thus been sent to the partners. The Romanian official also hailed, alongside his counterparts, the Joint Statement by the Commission and the High Representative on the relation between the EU and Turkey. Aurescu said that, although this relation was tense for a certain period, the approach agreed on at the European Council in December 2020 proved to be fruitful.
VACCINE – A new batch of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines containing over 345,000 doses was delivered to Romania o Monday, arriving at the airports in Bucharest, Cluj Napoca and Timişoara. More than 1.7 million people have been given at least one Covid jab in this country. More than 3,743 new coronavirus cases and 60 related fatalities were reported in Romania in the last 24 hours. Total infections passed 900,858 and the death toll is 22,268 in the country, since the start of the outbreak.
CORONAVIRUS – Europe can achieve herd immunity by July, said the EU commissioner for the internal market Thierry Breton. In the meantime, the number of new infections is surging and an increasing number of countries are considering extending restrictions. Thousands of people took to the streets in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Serbia, Poland, the UK and Romania to protest against government measures. Germany is considering extending current restrictions in April and France is struggling with record ICU admissions. Greece will start distributing free do-it-yourself Covid tests and may requisition private sector doctors to reduce pressure on the public healthcare system. In Bulgaria, schools, big shops, restaurants and gyms were closed Monday. In the US, a curfew is in place in Miami Beach from 10 pm in an attempt to control the movement of tourists on the beach. In Asia, local lockdowns are in place in India, and the Philippines is closing religious venues. The Tokyo Olympic Games will be held without overseas spectators. (EE)
