Peaminister Jüri Ratas: "Eesti on jõudnud hädaolukorda"
__________
Friday
13. March
__________
Estonian government declares state of emergency to fight coronavirus
(ERR)
“The state of emergency is in effect through May 1, unless the government should decide otherwise. Changes in effect under the state of emergency will affect schools, cultural events and ferry travel, and public events are banned.”
Koroonaviirusega võitlemise õppetunnid
Tomas Pueyo - Postimees
Coronavirus: Why You Must Act Now
by Tomas Pueyo - Medium
Estonia announced it was closing schools and banning public gatherings until 1. May
(US News)
As of 13. March: “Estonia has around 70 cases of the coronavirus so far, one of over 115 countries with infections.”
Võrumaa «koroonapeole» jõudis viirus Taist
Ülle Harju, Postimees
“Võru linna külje all tähistati möödunud nädalavahetusel tuntud sporditreeneri 50. sünnipäeva, kolmapäeval tabas külalisi šokeeriv teade: Tallinnast kohale sõitnud külalisel diagnoositi koroonaviirus.”
—
“Võrus on praegu suur paanika, kõik arvavad, et neil on koroona,” kirjeldas üks peol viibinud naine. “Telefon heliseb vahetpidamata, tuttavad uurivad, kuidas mul tervis on …”
Võru second Estonian municipality in coronavirus schools closure
(ERR)
“The move follows a discovery that an individual carrying the virus had attended a private party in Võru County last Saturday. The closure will last at least until next Tuesday, the authorities said.”
Christianity Has Been Handling Epidemics for 2000 Years
(Foreign Policy)
“In 1527, when the bubonic plague hit Wittenberg, Martin Luther refused calls to flee the city and protect himself. Rather, he stayed and ministered to the sick. The refusal to flee cost his daughter Elizabeth her life. But it produced a tract, “Whether Christians Should Flee the Plague,” where Luther provides a clear articulation of the Christian epidemic response: We die at our posts. Christian doctors cannot abandon their hospitals, Christian governors cannot flee their districts, Christian pastors cannot abandon their congregations.”
A relapsed Soviet’s guide to surviving coronavirus shortages
(Politico-Europe)
“If you’ve got a newspaper, you’ve got toilet paper.”
—
“If there's a queue, join it.”
—
“Get (medical) friends in high places.”
—
“Avoid crowds (With the exception of the all-important queue.”)
—
“Don't forget to laugh.”
How Russia Is Responding to the Coronavirus: Cameras, Deportations and Skepticism
(The Moscow Times)
“From enforcing quarantine with facial-recognition cameras to deporting Chinese students, Russia is bracing for the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.”
__________
Vladimir Putin
__________
Putin: Possibly President for Life
by Anna Nemtsova - The Daily Beast
“The deed is done. Russia’s parliament voted 383 to 0 to change the Russian constitution so he can hold on to the presidency until 2036. This is a shock to some, but not exactly a surprise. It feels so Soviet.”
- “I’m sure that together, we will do many more great things, at least until 2024. Then, we will see.”
Vladimir Putin Positions Himself to Become Russia’s Eternal Leader
by Joshua Yaffa - The New Yorker
“In January, with no warning, Putin dismissed the government and declared a need to revise the constitution …”
Putin võib uuesti Venemaa presidendiks kandideerida
(Postimees)
“Põhiseaduse kohaselt peaks Venemaa president 2024. aastal teise ametiaja lõppedes ametist taanduma, kuid täna pakkus võimupartei Ühtne Venemaa parlamendiliige välja ettepaneku, mis muudaks põhiseadust selliselt, et Putini ametiajad hakkaksid taas nullist jooksma.”
—
“Põhimõtteliselt oleks see variant võimalik, aga ühel tingimusel: kui põhiseaduskohus teeb ametliku otsuse, et selline muudatus ei oleks vastuolus põhiseaduse põhimõtete ja peamiste sätetega,” ütles Putin.
Putin Wants the World to Keep Guessing
by Mark Galeotti - Foreign Policy
“The Russian president’s goal isn’t necessarily to be president for life. Unless it is. … Vladimir Putin does like to surprise. …”
Vladimir Putin Opens Door to Extending Rule until 2036
(The Moscow Times)
“Tuesday offered clarity. During a State Duma session on the amendments, Valentina Tereshkova, a deputy who was the first woman in space, proposed adding another change to the list — resetting presidential terms to zero after the constitutional amendments are passed to allow Putin to run for president once again.”
—
“This would be a stabilizing factor for our society,” she said.
__________
Thursday
12. March
__________
Estonian Health Board recommending that intl events be postponed until 2nd half of 2020
(Baltic Times)
“In its decision, the Health Board is guided by the epidemiological situation in the world, in the European Union and also in Estonia, the authority said. Health Board adviser Karena Leiger said that the spread of the virus in European countries indicates that international events may encourage the local spread of the virus.”
As of 12. March: 27 cases of coronavirus confirmed in Estonia
(ERR)
“Ester Öpik, head of the Northern Regional Department of the Health Board, said the Health Board has raised the risk level and a local spread of the virus has been identified. … "Certainly the focus is on those places (Tallinn, Saaremaa, Võrumaa) and the people who get the diagnosis, but the focus is no longer on widespread contact identification," she said.
—
Öpik said the risk groups for the virus are already known - the elderly - and because of this they are the main focus of protection.”
__________
Wednesday
11. March
__________
Eesti saab kriisist tugeva löögi
(Postimees)
“Baltimaade seas võib Eesti niinimetatud tarnešokiga kõige rohkem kokku puutuda, Kesk- ja Ida-Euroopa riikides impordivad Hiinast rohkem vahetooteid ainult Poola ja Tšehhi,» märkis ökonomist. Baltikumi sektorid, mis võivad Hiina vabrikute pikaajalise sulgemise tõttu tarnešokki kannatada, on tekstiili- ja rõivasektor, mille puhul on vahetoodete impordil Hiinast osatähtsus Eestis 38,6 protsenti, Lätis 10,4 protsenti ja Leedus 14,1 protsenti.”
Supply shock may cause biggest harm to Estonia in Baltics
(Baltic Times)
“The sectors in the Baltics that may suffer from a supply shock as a result of a long-term shutdown of factories in China are textile and garments, in whose case the share of the import of intermediate products of Chinese origin is 38.6 percent in Estonia, 10.4 percent in Latvia and 14.1 percent in Lithuania.”
—
In computers and electronics it is 26.6 percent in Estonia, 12.2 percent in Latvia and 10.5 percent in Lithuania, in machinery and equipment 17.1 percent in Estonia, 4.5 percent in Latvia and 3.6 percent in Lithuania, and in non-metal minerals 8.5 percent in Estonia, 5.1 percent in Latvia and 10.2 percent in Lithuania.”
How the EU is trying to prevent a virus-induced recession
(Christian Science Monitor)
“Suddenly staring recession in the face, European leaders are lining up an array of tax breaks, financial support for companies, and likely central bank measures in the hope of preventing the coronavirus outbreak, officially designated a “pandemic", from dealing long-term damage to the economy.”
How Can Europe Pursue Further Integration?
(CEPA)
“A series of strategic policy initiatives that are likely to be crucial for the vitality of the EU are under way: a new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2021-2027, a new rule of law framework, a new Western Balkan enlargement methodology, and potentially a new Eastern Partnership (EaP) framework, among others involving emerging technologies or the environment. And somewhat surprisingly, all of them have an underlying topic: preventing backsliding on democratic norms and strengthening the rule of law within and around EU borders. …”
'Secret' Maps: Patriotic Activist Flees Russia After Being Charged With Possessing Maps of the Karelia region from the ‘60s and '70s
(RFERL)
“Anton Kolomitsyn is used to receiving official papers. For more than 30 years, he has spent much of his free time tramping the remote corners of Russia looking for the undiscovered remains of Soviet soldiers killed in the area during World War II.”
—
“But early on the morning of January 21, agents of the Federal Security Service (FSB) presented Kolomitsyn with two more official documents: a search warrant and an arrest warrant on charges of possessing state secrets. "They took the computers, the discs, the flash drives," he added.”
__________
Tuesday
10. March
__________
Good environmental status of Baltic Sea will not be achieved by 2021
(Baltic Times)
“While 70 percent of the common measures planned under the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM) action plan have been taken, of domestic measures, however, the parties have managed to implement just one-third. Objectives yet to be met include creating offshore protected areas and ascertaining the impact of marine litter on the natural environment and human health. With regard to domestic measures, Estonia has not managed to sufficiently reduce marine litter burden; more specifically -- the amount of phosphorus that ends up in marine environment has declined, however, nitrogen levels are not exhibiting a similar trend.”
US, UK and Estonia call out Russia over cyber attacks against Georgia in UN Security Council first
(Fox News)
“Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, Estonia’s Ambassador Sven Jurgenson said it was clear who carried out the cyber attack.
“We are clear that Russia's military intelligence service, the G.R.U, conducted the cyber attacks in attempt to sow discord and disrupt the lives of ordinary Georgian people. These cyber attacks are part of Russia's long-running campaign of hostile and destabilizing activity against Georgia and are part of a wider pattern of malign activity.”
https://www.foxnews.com/world/us-uk-estonia-call-out-russia-cyber-attacks-against-georgia
'You really have to stand up for yourself': Estonia's first woman president on gender and politics
(NBC News)
“There are challenges, not only for me but all my female colleagues,” President Kaljulaid told Mika Brzezinski. “Quite often, I mean, you get pushed aside and you really have to stand up for yourself.”
—
"People have to learn that the presidents may look different, prime ministers also, maybe women over 40, and they're exactly like everybody else,” Kaljulaid said. “You cannot look at the person and decide who they are. This is extremely important.”
The Best Foreign Policy Puts Women at the Center
(Foreign Affairs)
“Greater Equality Leads to Greater Wealth and Security for All.”
__________
________
__
