A roundup of domestic and international news
CORONAVIRUS ROMANIA - The authorities are considering four scenarios which could be imposed after May 15: extending the state of emergency, declaring a state of alert, issuing a decree on a high-risk epidemic and, finally, taking no special measures, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said on Wednesday. A decision will be taken as the deadline draws near, depending on the evolution of the pandemic. Previously, President Klaus Iohannis said easing restrictions starting May 15 doesn't mean life will return to normal, because the danger hasn't passed. In turn, Health Minister Nelu Tataru said that Romania is still heading towards the peak of the pandemic, but that in the next two weeks the number of new infections is expected to drop "from one day to the next". Over 12,000 infections have been confirmed in Romania so far, some 700 people have died and over 3,500 have recovered. Around 2,200 Romanians abroad have tested positive for COVID-19, 88 of whom have died.
PANDEMIC - A number of countries have announced they will ease the restrictions imposed due to the pandemic. In France and Greece schools will open gradually starting May 11, while in Spain and Italy students will return to school in autumn. Hotels in Poland will be open to tourists during the summer while Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey plan to open the tourist season on July 1. Football clubs in Spain will resume training starting May 4, while in Portugal sports competitions will resume gradually. In the US, where the number of infections exceeds 1 million, President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling on meat producers to maintain their activity, amidst news of several slaughterhouses shutting down. The Federal Government will provide protection equipment for all employees in the sector. An updated death toll published by John Hopkins University shows the number of fatalities in the US is higher than the number of American soldiers killed in two decades during the Vietnam War. The global number of infections exceeds 3.1 million, the most number of cases being reported in the US, Spain, Italy, France, the UK and Germany. Some 220,000 people died to the coronavirus worldwide and over 965,000 have recovered.
DRAFT LAW - Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday harshly criticized the tacit adoption, by the Chamber of Deputies, of a draft law regarding the autonomy of the so-called Szeckler Land, a region in central Romania hosting the Hungarian community. Iohannis made it clear he would not promulgate the law. According to the draft law initiated by the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, the region should have its own administrative organization, public authorities and institutions and Hungarian should be its official language. The region would include the counties of Covasna, Harghita and part of Mures County. The Legislative Council, the Economic and Social Council and the Government have not green-lit the project. The Senate too on Wednesday gave a negative vote. Social-Democrat Chamber of Deputies Speaker, Marcel Ciolacu, said his party has voted against the bill in the chamber's specialized committees. On the other hand, the Liberals say the tacit adoption would have signaled a political agreement between the Social-Democrats and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians. Prior to the vote, the Save Romania Union had also announced its Senators would vote against the bill, saying it goes against the Constitution. The president of the People's Movement Party, Eugen Tomac, said Wednesday's vote represents "one of the biggest humiliations Parliament has ever subjected Romania and its people to, which is a sign of political weakness".
MISSION - A team of Romanian doctors and nurses, set up on a volunteer basis, will leave Thursday for the Republic of Moldova, where they will help medical units involved in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Romania will also give Moldova a financial assistance package to help the country fight the coronavirus. Over April 7-24, a team made up of 11 doctors and 4 nurses were in Lombardy, Italy, where they contributed to the treatment of patients infected with coronavirus. The mission, which was also carried out on a volunteer basis, was conducted as part of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The Romanian Foreign Ministry has approved the issuance of diplomatic passports to the personnel of Romanian medical missions to Italy and the Republic of Moldova, as a sign of "great respect and appreciation" for their efforts in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
(Translated by V. Palcu & Elena Enache)
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