December 20, 2021

COVID-19 424 new Covid infections have been registered in Romania in the past 24 hours, authorities have announced. 36 Covid-related fatalities have also been reported, though the number of people interested in getting the vaccine is getting lower. Since the vaccine rollout kicked off in Romania a year ago, 7.7 million people have been fully vaccinated placing Romania on the last but one position in an EU ranking.

FORM The Digital passenger locator, a form, which has to be filled in by travelers coming to Romania, has come into effect in this country as well. The document replaces the epidemiological statement in use so far at all border checkpoints. The form is available at the e-platform plf.gov.ro and the data to be introduced must include IDs, the country the visitors come from as well as the last countries they have transited in the past two weeks, their address in Romania and a phone number. The data is needed in order to establish whether new restrictions are to be imposed as well as in the event of an epidemiological investigation, provided someone got in contact with an infected person. 18 EU countries are already using this locator.

VISIT Today and tomorrow Romania's Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca is paying a working visit to Brussels, which includes a series of meetings with high EU officials. According to a government release, the prime Minister is today having a working dinner with the president of the European Council, Charles Michel. The Romanian official is to meet the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and other EC officials. At the NATO headquarters, Ciuca will be meeting the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg.

EVENTS 32 years on from the anti-communist revolution, the city of Timisoara, in western Romania, is today celebrating the day of the victory against communism through a series of events dedicated to the most important moment in Romania's recent history. Sirens were sounded for three minutes at noon as a reminder that 32 years ago Timisoara became Romania's first city free of communism. After four days of bloody reprisals with hundreds of people killed or wounded, the big factories went on strike and 10 thousand people went to the streets of Timisoara, whereas the army retired to their barracks. Communist symbols were removed and the Romanian Democratic Front, the first illegal political formation was founded. From the balcony of the Opera Theatre, Timisoara was declared a city free of communism.

WEATHER A little bit about the weather in Romania where the sky is overcast in most of the regions and it is snowing in the mountains. There are mixed precipitations in the rest of the territory. Glazed frost is expected in some areas while the wind is moderate in most of the regions. Blizzards have been reported in the mountains. The highs of the day range between minus 2 and 10 degrees Celsius with a noon reading in Bucharest of 7 degrees.

(bill)