March 18, 2022
Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 18.03.2022, 14:37
COVID-19
The number of Covid-19
infections is on the rise in Romania with over four thousand new cases reported
yesterday and 63 related fatalities. However the number of hospitalized
patients has been going down to only 32 hundred, out of which 502 in ICUs. No
anti-Covid restriction has been applied in Romania since March 9th
and no prevention measures are currently in place. Infections have also been
reported in other European countries after the restrictions were lifted although
there is no increase in the number of severe cases or related fatalities.
However, the World Health Organisation has voiced concern about the rising
number of infections due to the latest relaxation measures and the widely
spread idea that the Omicron variant is less severe.
REFUGEES The number of Ukrainian refugees who have made
it to Romania in the past three weeks since the beginning of the conflict has
reached half a million. Almost 80 thousand have chosen to remain in Romania.
According to official data, 32 thousand of them are minors and accommodation
facilities have been occupied 70%. Authorities and civil society are making
efforts to provide proper accommodation conditions, food, medical assistance
and education for children. A lot of companies have come up with job offers for
the refugees. The European Commission has decided to earmark special funds to Romania
in an attempt to enable the country to cope with the large number of refugees.
SPORT Romania’s national handball side lost to Macedonia 22-30
in Skopje on Thursday night in the second round of the preliminaries for World
Championships 2023. The second fixture of this play-off is due in Bucharest on
Saturday and the winner will be up against the Czech Republic in the next stage
of the preliminaries. On Saturday, Romania’s national fifteen takes on the
Netherlands in their last game in Rugby Europe Championship, the second
competition after the famous Six Nations. Romania is hankering for a win in
order to come third in World Cup preliminaries and secure a place in the
qualifiers in November.
WAR Ukraine still holds control over the
country’s key areas the Russian forces are trying to conquer, Ukrainian
president Volodymyr Zelensky said after a couple of weeks of Russia’s sustained
onslaught. Russian rockets have hit an area close to the airport of the city of
Lviv in the west of the country, local authorities have today announced, quoted
by Reuters and AFP, adding the airport has not been attacked. No victims have
been reported but representatives of the US Department of Defence have
cautioned against Russia’s stepped up attacks against civil targets in Ukraine.
Moscow will destroy the convoys carrying weapons sent into Ukraine by its
western partners, Russian Foreign Minister Serghei Lavrov said. In another
development, NATO Deputy Secretary General Romanian Mircea Geoana said that
Russia has 75% of its total armed forces blocked in Ukraine and from this point
of view there is no risk concerning the security of allied countries. Geoana
added that in spite of an incipient diplomatic dialogue, Russia is likely to carry
on its onslaught on three strategic directions around Kiev; the conflict will
go on and so will the number of victims.
(bill)
