July 12, 2020 UPDATE

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA - The Senate in Bucharest next week will debate and vote on a controversial draft law submitted by the Liberal Government. On Thursday, the Chamber of Deputies passed the law in a heavily modified form compared to the original. While the power claims it needs leverage to counteract the effects of the pandemic, the opposition says the law infringes on citizens' rights and liberties. Interim Senate Speaker Social-Democrat Robert Cazanciuc said the bill will pass only if it answers Romanians' needs. He recalled that opinions have been asked from the Justice Ministry and the Superior Council of Magistracy, and the Government also needs to provide arguments that observe European practice in the field of compulsory hospitalization and the mandatory posting of medical staff. We recall the bill on quarantine and isolation was passed by the Government and submitted to Parliament after the Constitutional Court ruled that home isolation, quarantine and hospitalization cannot be imposed by Ministry decree, as the case has been so far. Constitutional Court judges believe refstrictions should be based on a clear legal framework. Hundreds of people protested on Sunday against the authorities' handling of the health crisis, as well as against the bill on isolation and quarantine. Some 32.500 cases have been reported in Romania, 23.400 people have recovered. The death toll stands at 1.884. 5.104 Romanians have tested positive for SARS CoV2 abroad and 122 have died.

RESTRICTIONS - Starting Wednesday next week Hungary will impose new border crossing restrictions to prevent the spread of the virus, in the wake of a resurge in the number of infections in several countries. Arrivals from "yellow" areas, including Romania, will be submitted to medical checks at the border and enter quarantine for 14 days, while anyone coming from "red" countries will be denied access. Entry into Hungary will be allowed only to citizens presenting two negative tests for COVID-19, carried out in the last five days. The tests need to be 48 hours apart, and the medical certificates must be presented in Hungarian or English. Greek authorities have suspended until Tuesday the electronic platform for traveller registration, ahead of changing border crossing regulations for land entries. As of Wednesday morning, Romanian tourists will have to provide proof of a negative test against COVID-19, no older than 72 hours. The documentation must be in English and contain the traveller's identification data. The Romanian Foreign Ministry recalls this test does not exclude the obligation of completing the online form or being subject to random testing at the border. Prime Minister Ludovic Orban has called on the 120 centers doing corona testing in the country to take priority in testing tourists with planned holidays in Greece. On social media many Romanians have already announced their readiness to give up their holidays, mostly due to the expenses associated with voluntary testing. Other EU countries have announced restrictions for Romanian citizens. People with holiday plans in Austria need documents proving they tested negative for SARS CoV2, which must be no older than 4 days at the time of entry. The document needs to be translated into German and English and be accompanied by proof of accommodation in this country. Anyone failing to provide the said documentation will be placed in isolation for 14 days. As of Monday, Lithuania will deny access to Romanians, with the exception of people on transit to Romania.

MIGRANTS - Two Serbian nationals, who helped 13 Syrians illegally cross into Romania, were picked up on Saturday night by the Romanian border police and are now being investigated for migrant trafficking. The Syrian citizens, nine men and four women, are aged 17-30. The Serbian drivers were planning on taking them to Western Europe in exchange for €900. The Romanian Border Police has advised citizens against transporting unknown people in border areas and to notify the authorities whenever they are presented with such requests.

TENNIS - Tennis player Simona Halep, world no. 2 has confirmed her participation in the WTA tournament in Palermo, Italy, the first in the WTA circuit after the long hiatus caused by the coronacrisis. In a video posted on social media, she said she would take part in the competition in Sicily, which will be played on clay court over August 3-9. Halep played her last match in February, in the final of the tournament in Dubai, which she won against Elena Rybakina of Khazakstan. Oliveiro Palma, the director of the tournament in Palermo, said "Halep's participation is exceptional news, it had been decades since Palermo last hosted a former No.1".

(Translated by V. Palcu)