Romania: COVID-19 vaccination campaign updates
Romanian authorities announced 484 new cases of coronavirus on Friday out of about 34,000 tests performed in the last 24 hours. Most new cases, 65, are registered in Bucharest. There have been reported 49 deaths related to coronavirus, and 636 patients are admitted to intensive care units. So far, over 7 million doses of COVID vaccine have been administered in Romania, and over 4 million people have received at least one dose. The coordinator of the national vaccination campaign, Valeriu Gheorghiţă, considers that it is unlikely that 5 million people would be vaccinated by May 31, as the authorities had initialy proposed, but he suggests that this goal could be achieved in the first part of June. On the other hand, Prime Minister Florin Cîţu reassures there will be further relaxations of anti-COVID measures starting from June.
In Romania, the price of gas will rise from July 1
Starting with July 1, natural gas prices will rise in Romania. The Vice President of the National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE), Zoltan Nagy, urges consumers to consult the price comparator on the ANRE website, in order to choose one supplier or another in an informed manner. He insists that the population can sign contracts at much lower prices at the moment than those announced on July 1 by certain suppliers. The statement comes in the context in which one of the bigest energy companies operating in Romania announced increases of even 25%. „Natural gas prices, both in Europe and in Romania, are very, very high and this increase started in April. If at the beginning of April contracts could had been concluded for the winter of 2020-2021 at prices around 90 lei, currently the price is somewhere between 130 and 140 lei (…) and it should not surprise anyone”, said Zoltan Nagy. The NGO „Intelligent Energy” estimates that from July 1, gas will increase by 20% and electricity by 10%.
Important drug seizure in the Port of Constanta
Organized crime police and prosecutors in Romania, backed by the US Embassy in Bucharest, Europol and Eurojust agencies, have seized almost one and a half tonne of heroin in the Port of Constanta, the second largest seizure of such kind of drug in the European Union in recent years. The heroin was smuggled into Romania hidden in two containers with construction materials. The head of DIICOT, Oana Pâţu, declared that the drugs are worthing over 345 million euros on the black market. Nine members of the drug trafficking group and its leader, who were active in several European countries, have already been tagged or detained and will be brought to justice.
Magda Baciu
