Romanian President Klaus Iohannis in France
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis is expected to meet French counterpart Emmanuel Macron at an informal dinner in Paris on Wednesday. Talks will focus on recent developments in the African region of Sahel. President Macron is expected to announce France’s intention to withdraw its forces from Mali, accordng to sources. Countries in the region and their international partners engaged in the fight against terrorist groups are expected to discuss recent developments. President Iohannis is also expected to attend the 6th EU – African Union (AU) summit in Brussels, on Thursday and Friday. Leaders will discuss how both continents can build greater prosperity. The aim is lauching an ambitious Africa – Europe Investement Package, taking into account global challenges such as climate change and the current health crisis.
In Bucharest, hundreds of thousands left without hot water and heating
Two failures in the heating network on Tuesday left hundreds of thousands of people in the capital Bucharest without hot water and heating. Bucharest sectors 2, 3, and 5 were most affected with such neighbourhoods as Aviation, Pantelimon, Colentina, Tei, Vitan, Titan and Tineretului. The problem will be solved as soon as possible, state-owned supplier Termoelectrica claimed on Wednesday.
‘Mask still mandatory’, Romanian health minister says
Mask wearing remains mandatory in all indoor spaces, public transport and closed markets. The announcement came from Romanian Health Minister Alexandru Rafila on Wednesday after a Constituional Court ruling on Tuesday claiming the measure was unconstitutional. “The mask wearing allows people to protect themselves from SARS-CoV-2 infections”, Mr. Rafila said. “We need to understand that mask wearing is not a restriction as it allows people to defend themselves against the virus”, he added. The Romanian authorities were making medical masks (FFP2) mandatory in all public places in January. The most significant change was that textile or plastic face coverings were no longer permited from January 8. The number of new COVID-19 cases has been on the rise since the start of the year.
Romania coronavirus updates
Romania reported 17,447 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, which is 4,438 cases less than the previous day, with 183 deaths (98 men, 85 women), and another 1156 people under intensive care (1 more than the previous day). In the capital Bucharest, the number of cases hit 4,626, according to data issued by the country’s Strategic Communication Group (GSC). With its 4,626 cases reported, Bucharest still leads amomg other regions in the country, followed by north-western county of Cluj (1,638 cases), south-eastern county of Constantza with 902 cases, and the western county of Timiș, with 845 cases.
Alexandru Danga
