Romania’s state of emergency extended
Romanians are not supposed to relax despite a slowdown in the number of COVID-19 cases. The state of emergency will be extended by another month, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said. “We need to do this again. It is a necessity. People should understand that the virus cannot be stopped otherwise”, Mr. Iohannis told a video briefing on Monday. The president’s statement came as COVID-19 pandemic continued to take a heavy toll on families and communities in Romania.
Romania coronavirus updates
Romania reported 4,417 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday with 460 recoveries and 182 deaths, according to official figures. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis declared a state of emergency in March. Since then, the government has gradually enforced tighter restrictions to contain the pandemic. However, the state of emergency raised media freedom concerns as its provisions allowed shutdown of websites publishing fake news. The OSCE warned of the risk posed by an alleged government decision defining what was fake news and what was accurate reporting.
Technological unemployment in Romania’s Mehedinți county
Thousands of people in the county of Mehedinți, south-eastern Romania, are facing technological unemployment as some 350 employers already submitted applications allowing the move. Most applications involve the area of tourism and services, according to Radio Romania. The City Council in county capital Drobeta Turnu Severin told reporters that some 75 percent of its public servants were expected to be discharged. The massive surge of COVID-19-related layoffs has put Romania’s labour market in a unique position as many state run- and private businesses are struggling with such layoffs.
Alexandru Danga, RADOR
