January 2, 2020

Covid-19 Ro. Almost 1,200 new cases of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 were registered in 24 hours in Romania, following 4,400 tests run at national level, according to the latest data communicated by the Strategic Communication Group. Most new cases of infection were registered in Bucharest. So far, in Romania, over 637,000 cases of people infected with the new coronavirus have been confirmed. According to the Group, another 78 deaths were recorded in 24 hours due to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, bringing the total to over 15,900. 1,117 patients are in intensive care. The number of Romanians vaccinated with the vaccine produced by Pfizer-BioNTech, the only one approved so far in the European Union, is close to 12,000.  Since December 27, when the immunization of the medical staff started, there have been 26 minor side effects, the National Center for the Coordination of the Vaccination Campaign has announced. Authorities have again called on people to get information from official sources about the COVID vaccination campaign and have drawn attention to the circulation of fake news on the subject

Pandemic. The number of SARS CoV-2 infections has exceeded 84.4 million worldwide, according to a report by worldometers.info. More than 1.8 million people have died from Covid-19. The United States is the most affected, with over 20 million cases of infection. Federal authorities are trying to speed up vaccinations and counter a more infectious variant of the virus, which has already appeared in Colorado, California and Florida. India, which has more than 10 million cases of infection, conducted vaccination simulations across the country on Saturday before launching a massive immunization campaign against the new coronavirus. In Europe, France is extending the traffic ban in 15 departments of the country to combat the spread of the virus. Any non-essential travel was banned throughout France between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., but, starting on Saturday, the restriction will apply from 6 p.m. in the 15 departments.

Education. In Romania, the education digitalization strategy, developed by a group of specialists, is under public consultation, until February 15th. The document aims, among other things, at having  90% of Romania's population able to work with computers at an average level, which means, according to the strategy, digitally literate. It is also aimed at equipping all educational units in Romania with infrastructure and technological resources, adapted to permanent changes. At this time, digital skills are included at the secondary level. The document is posted on the edu.ro and smart.edu.ro websites of the Ministry of Education.

Brexit. The Romanian government  has launched an online platform at brexit.gov.ro with all the details regarding the changes that have taken place in the relationship with Great Britain, which, from January 1, 2021, is no longer part of the European Union. The information is structured in five categories: business environment, transport, mobility, customs regulations and justice. Some of the most important and costly changes are for Europeans who want to work or study in the UK from now on. Those who want to work in the UK will need a visa. Visas will have to be paid and awarded on the basis of a score that requires the applicant to have a job offer from a recognized British company, on an annual salary of at least £ 25,600, and a good knowledge of English. Romanian and European students who want to study in the UK from the next academic year will also need visas, and tuition fees will be considerably higher. Until last year, European students paid the same tuition fees as their British counterparts and had access to bank loans to finance their studies. Citizens of the European Union who want to visit the United Kingdom for tourism purposes do not need a visa if their stay is not longer than 6 months. Persons with criminal convictions of more than one year in prison may be denied entry into the United Kingdom.

Funds. Romanians returning from work abroad can obtain European funds of 40,000 or 50,000 euros for farms in the country through the financing line "Support for the settling of young farmers". The Agency for Financing Rural Investments officially holds a new call for projects  between January 4 and May 4. The financial allocation for this session is 20 million Euro.

Agriculture. Romania's total grain production decreased, last year, to almost half, compared to 2019, due to the extreme pedological drought that affected some agricultural areas in the country. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, just over 17 million tons were harvested, compared to 30 million tons in 2019. The largest decline was recorded in corn, about 45%, and a decrease of  almost 41% was recorded for wheat. The only crop that recorded an increase in production in 2020 was rye, the harvest being 26% higher than the previous year. (M. Ignatescu)