A roundup of domestic and international news
COVID-19 IN ROMANIA - Another 5,554 new COVID-19 infections and 148 related deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours, the Group for Strategic Communication announced on Sunday. The total number of infections has exceeded 470 thousand, 70% of patients having recovered. The national death toll has also climbed to 11,193. 1,250 people are currently in intensive care. Bucharest is the most affected city in Romania. 6,914 Romanians living abroad tested positive for COVID-19, 127 of whom have died.
COVID-19 IN THE WORLD - Over 62.6 million people around the world have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 since the beginning of the outbreak, the latest worldometers.info update reveals. The global death toll now exceeds 1.4 million. The three most affected countries are the United States, India and Brazil. In Europe, starting December 1, stores will reopen in Belgium, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo has announced, although the country will remain in partial quarantine to allow efforts to contain the pandemic. Belgium has been severely affected by the second wave of the pandemic and has been under lockdown since October 30. In France, the authorities are easing restrictions, allowing shops selling non-essential products to reopen. People can also leave their homes for up to three hours for leisure time and physical exercise. The decision comes just shy of a month of harsh lockdown restrictions, which has led to a slump in the number of daily infections in this country.
CAMPAIGN - The campaign for the legislative election due on December 6 continues in Romania. As in the case of the local election, held on September 27, the authorities have limited the number of participants to election rallies and introduced strict health safety regulations. Citizens will be able to cast their votes in all polling stations on election day, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban has said, adding that citizens infected with COVID-19, currently in quarantine or isolation, will be able to vote with the help of the mobile ballot box. More and more towns and villages across Romania are entering quarantine against the growing infection rate. Romanians living abroad will be able to vote on December 5 and the 6. Representing the Romanian Diaspora will be four deputies and two senators.
BRUA - Romania's President Klaus Iohannis attended the completion of the first phase in the BRUA pipeline project, in an event hosted by Jupa in Caraş Severin County. The President said the delivery of new natural gas supplies will better meet internal demand and will add predictability and stability to the national distribution network. BRUA seeks to develop a natural gas interconnector linking Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria to the southern corridor transporting gas from Azerbaijan. The Romanian gas company Transgaz announced the first gas supplies via the new BRUA pipeline will be delivered next week, from Romania to Hungary.
NATIONAL DAY - December 1, the National Day of Romania, will this year be celebrated in a restricted ceremony, to be attended by doctors, medical staff and foreign ambassadors. The traditional military parade organized on this occasion was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Restricted ceremonies will also be held in big cities across the country, to be attended by local authorities. The Foreign Ministry this year marks the National Day by means of a digital diplomacy project, a virtual dialogue space where friends and partners of Romania, but also members of Romanian communities abroad can meet and exchange opinions in a novel environment adapted to the challenges posed by the global health context. Over November 28 - December 1, in a special section on the Ministry website, mae.ro, the Foreign Ministry is promoting Romanian talent and history, with a focus on classical and contemporary music, theatre, performing and visual arts. The Ministry is also making public a number of diplomatic documents from its archive. The virtual section will also include an area devoted to online actions carried out by Romania's diplomatic missions and consular offices.
MOLDOVA - Authorities have declared a state of emergency in the Republic of Moldova, in place until January 15, 2021. All nightclubs have been closed, while restaurants, bars and coffee shops will close before 10 PM. Colloquiums and sports competitions with physical attendance have been banned. Theatres, cinemas and concert halls have also shut down. Public and private institutions will have to introduce special working hours, with the physical presence of only those workers who cannot work from home. According to our correspondent on the ground, restrictions were previously introduced in the Republic of Moldova, although they were not fully observed, not even by the authorities. Socialist Prime Minister Ion Chicu organized his son's wedding party, while in the campaign for the presidential election, the acting President, Igor Dodon, held a rally with hundreds of participants.
HANDBALL - Romania's women's handball team are preparing for the European Championship hosted by Denmark between December 3 and 20. Romania is playing in Group D in the final tournament, alongside Norway, Germany and Poland, with the games taking place in the town of Kolding. On December 3, Romania will play Germany. On December 5 it will take on Poland, then it will play Norway on December 7. Denmark is the sole host of the tournament after the second designated host, neighboring Norway, pulled out. On November 16, only 17 days before the first game was due, Oslo announced that healthcare constraints related to the COVID-19 pandemic prevent it from organizing the competition.
BASKETBALL - The Romanian men's basketball team on Monday is playing the world champion, Spain, in Valencia, in a fixture counting towards the FIBA EuroBasket 2022 preliminary Group A. On Saturday, Romania lost 91-61 to Poland. After three matches, Romania has zero points and is bottom of the group tables. The last group fixtures will be played next year. The top three teams in each group will qualify to the 2022 European Championship. (V. Palcu)
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