Romanian Orthodox Christians celebrate the Epiphany of our Lord
Romanian Orthodox Christians celebrate the Epiphany of our Lord, and the priests officiate in front of the churches the service of sanctifying the water, to commemorate the baptism received by Jesus Christ in the waters of the Jordan from St. John the Baptist. At the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest, measures were taken to adhere the coronavirus rules, the believers receiving the holy water bottled in sealed bottles. They will advance on a well-marked corridor, keeping social distance and wearing protective masks. In order to avoid the overcrowding of believers, the Romanian Patriarchate decided not to fill large vessels with water, as in previous years. After the Divine Liturgy, Romanian Patriarch Daniel will officiate the service of the great aghiasma in a single silver vessel, in the porch of the patriarchal residence, after which the believers present at the service will be blessed by sprinkling with holy water.
The second phase of vaccination would start at the end of next week in Romania
The second phase of the vaccination campaign would start in Romania at the end of next week, priority category being pacients in care centers. There are almost 40,000 residents in more than 1,800 such care units nationwide and procedures have already begun to obtain consent for their COVID-19 vaccination. The second stage of vaccination generally focuses on the elderly and those with chronic diseases. The second phase of the vaccination campaign includes also essential workers, their number being estimated at 1-1.5 million. If everything goes smoothly, including the delivery of doses, at the beginning of April it will be possible to move to the third phase, the one in which the general population will be vaccinated. It is estimated that there will be almost 1,000 vaccination centers nationwide with a total capacity of 150,000 people vaccinated daily.
Minimum wage and other topics on the agenda of the Romanian Government meeting
The level of the minimum wage could be again Wednesday in Romanian Government’s attention, after the value of 2,300 lei proposed by the executive has already been challenged in the street by one of the largest trade union confederations. During the meeting, the executive will also discuss possible changes to the status of the prefect and sub-prefect, who are registered as senior civil servants and would become dignitaries again. Discussed in the first reading at the end of last year, the increase of the minimum gross salary in the country from 2,230 lei to 2,300 lei – an increase of three percent compared to December last year – could receive a green light Wednesday, in the government meeting. However, the increase will not be valid for the staff employed in positions that require higher education, whose minimum salary will remain frozen at 2,350 lei, as it was until now. The Romanian executive will decide also on the status of prefect and subprefect. According to the Romanian Ministry of Development, the status of prefect and deputy prefect must be changed from a senior civil servant to a dignitary. In addition, the Romanian Government would decide to keep online education, as announced by the Minister of Education. Also today, the executive will take several decisions regarding the operationalization of the European Cybersecurity Competence Center, the first EU structure that will be based in Romania./mbaciu
Magda Baciu
