The Week in Review August 10-17

State of alert to be extended in Romania

A 30-day extension period for the state of alert has been put in place in Romania, as the current state of alert ends on August 15. The Government has issued the decision against the backdrop of a significant increase in COVID-19 infections and because of the reported deaths caused by the new Coronavirus. The plight this week has seen its highest since the outbreak of the pandemic. Healthcare Minister Nelu Tataru has stated the number of cases would increase the coming week as well, since most people are on vacation. 

Nelu Tataru:

"The summer season is in full swing, while relaxation is at its highest. We are at a time when we deal with an appreciable number of infection cases, we've been carrying tests on an extensive scale for COVID-19 infection suspects and a side effect of that will be the great number of people who test positive for the infection. What's most important for us is to maintain the capability to manage infection cases in the context of clinical symptoms and here I'm mainly speaking about cases of medium difficulty, but also about severe and most serious cases, requiring ICU therapy, where our resources are limited."

Healthcare Minister Nelu Tataru went on to say that in hospitals countrywide, more than 1,000 beds were available in Intensive Care Units, with mechanical ventilators in place for patients in highly critical condition.

Government report on how the pandemic has been managed in Romania, presented before Parliament

Romania's Prime Minister Ludovic Orban in Parliament on Wednesday presented a report on how the COVID-19 pandemic has been managed across the country. Prime Minister Orban also provided the Parliament with the measures to be taken in order to contain the number of infections. Other key points of the presentation were the organization of the local elections on September 27 and the issue of opening the school year in September. PM Orban presented the report at a time when in the last couple of weeks, Romania has seen a significant increase in the number of COVID-19 infections and of people who died because of the virus, and at that, the Prime Minister said, the healthcare system has been stretched beyond its limits. Ludovic Orban explained the number of infections saw their peak at a time when no legislation was available for the Government pertaining to quarantine and lockdown, following a decision the country's Constitutional Court took to that end, and because relaxation measures were introduced gradually across the country. PM Orban emphasized that, as soon as Parliament made available all the legal instruments required, which are in place in all European states, the Government could in turn implement the measures that were most needed under the circumstances. Orban called on MPs to back the government's effort to persuade people the solution to contain the spread of the virus was to comply with the regulations that have been put in place. PM Ludovic Orban also said that since March to the present day the daily testing capacity has enhanced significantly, from 4,500 tests to 25,000 tests. Also, control operations have been carried much more often and a great number of fines have been placed in the case of wrongdoers. The Prime Minister reiterated the fact that September 14 was the date when the new schoolyear would start in Romania. Ludovic Orban also specified that wearing a protection mask would be compulsory in the schools where classes will be resumed on a normal basis. Orban went on to say disinfectants must be made available in all educational units and, wherever possible, transparent partitions will be installed as a supplementary protection measure. PM Orban also broached the issue of local elections, specifying elections could be organized with no higher risk of infection. Ludovic Orban also emphasized that everybody's safety entirely depended on candidates and supporters' being honest and compliant during the election process. Interim President of the opposition Social Democratic Party, Marcel Ciolacu, lambasted the Liberal Government for literally destroying the economy. Ciolacu went on to say the Government did little, if anything, to make sure schools welcomed pupils and staff for the new schoolyear in safe conditions. According to Ciolacu, the Liberals had the local mayors and school principals bear the burden of such an undertaking.

Worrying economic statistics

The National Statistics Institute has reported a 12.3% decrease in the second quarter this year as compared to the first quarter, and a decrease standing at 10.5% as against the second quarter in 2019. Finance Minister Florin Citu Thursday evening announced the National Statistics and Prognosis Commission had also revised its estimates for Romania's economic progress in 2020. According to Citu, the institution's forecast for the country's economic contraction went up to 3.8 % as against the previously reported percentage, standing at 1.8%. The European Commission has published the economic forecast for the summer and at that, a sharp drop will be reported for Romania's GDP in 2020, standing at 6 %. Finance Minister Florin Citu also announced the reported 6.7% budget deficit would go up to 8.6% of the GDP. According to Citu, the increase was caused by a drop in budget revenues triggered by the economic crisis and an increase in expenditure generated by the efforts to contain the sanitary crisis. For the present budget rectification, the second one this year, Romania's Finance Minister pledged more sums of money would be earmarked for the healthcare, education and transport sectors. Citu also vowed the present budget rectification would also provide sums for increased pensions.

Celebratory events held on Romanian's Navy Day, and events held on the National Day of the commemoration of the Brancovan martyrs, at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2020 edition of Romanian Navy Day, each year celebrated on August 15, this year also marks 160 years since the Romanian Naval Forces have been established. Quite unlike the previous years, for their great part events have moved online, since everything has been adapted to the new measures that have been implemented to contain the spread of the COVID-19 infections. In another move, through a recent parliamentary decision, August 16 is the day when, for the first time ever, the National Day for the commemoration of the Brancovan Martyrs is observed, also as an awareness-raising day of violence targeting Christians. The eventual aim of observing such a day is to keep the laypublic informed on the role Christianity played in the history of Romania, as well as on the origins and scope of the persecution of Christians. In 2020, the aforementioned commemoration takes place on the same day when the Sunday of Romanian migrants is observed. The day has been dedicated to Romanian migrants since 2009. It is observed on the first Sunday after the Orthodox feast of the Assumption of the Mother of God.

(Translation by Eugen Nasta)