A roundup of local and international news.
Covid-19 update. Romania today reported over 10,000 new Covid cases and 32 related fatalities, including three recorded earlier. The incidence rate is on the rise around the country, including the capital Bucharest, which passed 3 cases per 1,000 inhabitants, entering the red tier. Restaurants, cinemas, gyms and other venues can now only open at 30% capacity. Also, schools where the vaccine uptake among staff is below 60% are moving to online teaching. Romania has recorded 1.8 million infections and some 60,000 deaths since the outbreak of the virus two years ago. Amid a sustained anti-vaccination campaign waged by part of the media and some politicians and public figures, Romania has the second lowest vaccination rate in the 27 EU member states, after Bulgaria.
Travel. The National Committee for Emergency Situations has updated the list of countries and territories with high epidemiological risk. Cyprus, Ireland, Iceland, France, Greece, Denmark, Portugal, Spain and the UK are now on the red list, with South Africa, Brazil and India no longer red list countries. The yellow list includes Serbia, the United Arab Emirates and Russia, while Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova are on the green list. The updated list comes into effect on Sunday, 16th January.
Culture Day. Romanians are today celebrating National Culture Day and 172 years since the birth of their national poet Mihai Eminescu, who is considered the last great representative of European Romanticism. The holiday was established by Parliament in 2010 at the proposal of the Romanian Academy. Romania's diplomatic and consular missions and cultural institutes abroad are hosting special events. The president and prime minister published special messages, recognising the difficulties faced by artists because of the pandemic and the need to support them. The pandemic has greatly affected the relationship between arts and culture creators and the public, and if difficulties persist, a more complex approach is needed from the state to support the cultural sector so as to make it more resilient, said president Klaus Iohannis, while prime minister Nicolae Ciucă said mobilisation is needed to help the cultural sector return to something resembling normality. Eminescu's anniversary and National Culture Day are also officially celebrated in the Republic of Moldova, the ex-Soviet neighbouring state with a majority Romanian-speaking population, as well as in the Romanian ethnic communities in other neighbouring countries and the diaspora.
Handball. The Romanian women's handball side CSM Bucharest are tonight facing Buducnost Podgorica from Montenegro in a Champions League Group A match. In their next match on 19th January, the Romanian side are playing away against Brest Bretagne Handball from France, followed by a home match against Borussia Dortmund from Germany on 22nd January. CSM Bucharest, who are coached by the manager of the national side Adrian Vasile, aim to win all of their three matches this month. They are currently 5th in their group with 8 points from 8 matches played.
Tennis. Romania has five players in the singles main draw at the Australian Open. In the opening round, former world no. 1 Simona Halep will be playing Poland's Magdalena Frech; Sorana Cîrstea will face Petra Kvitova, a difficult match for Cîrstea as Kvitova is leaving 5-3 in their head-to-head; Irina Begu will play France's Oceane Dodin; Jaqueline Cristian, the 23-year-old Romanian who is for the first time in Melbourne, will play Belgian's Greet Minnen, while 24-year-old Gabriela Ruse, also for the first time in this competition, will face Italy's Jasmine Paolini. (CM)
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