747 confirmed Covid-19 cases in Bulgaria

According to data of the National Operational Headquarters as of 5 pm Bulgarian time, there were 747 cases of Covid-19 infection registered in Bulgaria. 12 new cases have been proven today, as 3 of them are in Sofia, 7 in Smolyan, 1 in Kyustendil and 1 in Burgas. 218 people with confirmed Covid-19 infection are in hospital as 31 of them are in intensive care. There are 39 persons from the medical staff with established COVID-19 infection. A total of 36 people died and 105 have recovered so far.

Mass testing for coronavirus starts in Bulgaria

So far it was people suspected of having contracted Covid-19 and those connected with them that were tested. From now on mass testing is starting in Bulgaria, Minister of Health Kiril Ananiev announced.There are currently 20,000 PCR tests available in the country but many donations are expected. According to a report by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, thanks to the preventive measures Bulgaria has taken, it tops the list of countries with the lowest number of coronavirus cases per 100,000 people and is third with the lowest number of deaths per 100,000 after Slovakia and Latvia, the minister added.

New laboratory starts operating in Plovdiv

One of the basic requirements of the European Commission for the restoration of a normal way of life is the availability of a laboratory resource for research, said Gen. Ventsislav Mutafchiyski at the opening of the new laboratory in the Plovdiv University Hospital "St. George." The Head of the Operational Headquarters recalled that 18 laboratories have started working in this country for a month, while previously only one reference laboratory was functional. We need to get used to the thought of living and working in the conditions with the virus present, the general said, pointing out that restrictive measures cannot be removed at once, but gradually depending on the good performance in a given area.

Tighter control regime in two residential areas of Sofia

A stricter regime of movement in the Sofia neighbourhoods Filipovtsi and Fakulteta has been introduced after a joint meeting of the National Crisis Staff, the Directorate of the Interior and the Sofia municipal authorities. Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova stated that to be let through the checkpoints in these neighbourhoods people need to have a note from an employer. There has been an enhanced police presence in the two neighbourhoods for some days, disinfection has been stepped up and many of the residents are being tested.

Village in South Bulgaria placed under quarantine

The village of Panicherevo, Stara Zagora district, was placed under full quarantine on Wednesday morning. On Tuesday, a patient infected with Covid-19 escaped from the hospital in Stara Zagora and returned to Panicharevo by taxi. Later, he was detained by the Police and sent back to hospital. He was in contact with 60 people and as a result, the village of Panicharevo was placed under fourteen-day quarantine at 00.00 am on Wednesday. The whole of its population will be tested for coronavirus.The patient may be sentenced to up to 5 years in prison and fined between EUR 5,000 and EUR 25,000.Measures have been taken for providing the village with food and medicines. Panicharevo is the second settlement after the town of Bansko that will go through full quarantine.

Unemployment in Bulgaria has reached 6.7 percent

The registered unemployment rate increased by 0.5% in March 2020 and reached 6.7%, the Employment Agency has reported. In the period after March 13, when emergency situation was introduced because of the coronavirus pandemic, 26,300 unemployed people have registered with the labour offices, as 14,500 of them said the coronavirus crisis was the cause.Among the newly unemployed, the leading share goes to employees in the hotel, restaurant, trade and manufacturing sectors. At the same time, after March 13, there has been an increase in the demand for babysitters, as well as personal and health assistants. Call centers and food stores continue to need more employees, it was also reported.

45% of Bulgarians would not be able to financially withstand the crisis for more than a month

People who have the smallest financial buffer suffer more from this crisis, said AFIS sociologist Stefan Georgiev. A study focused on the socio-economic dimensions of the Covid-19 crisis shows that one out of ten respondent is not financially stable in the current situation. 5% say they can last another week, another 31% say they can last another month. Only 20% think they can last longer than half a year," Georgiev told BNR.

No chain is excluded from decree on Bulgarian production

"The pandemic forces us to take urgent measures, minimize losses and help our farmers survive," commented Agriculture Minister Desislava Taneva after meeting with Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and representatives of farmers’ organizations. The videoconference was conducted in relation with the decree obliging the retail chains to offer Bulgarian food products. According to the Minister, agreement has been reached on the measures as well as the creation of "regional short networks" for the supply of produce. Thus, the goods of the most vulnerable Bulgarian producers will reach the shelves of the retail chains. "No major retail chain is excluded from the scope of the agreement," the minister added, specifying that it applies to all owners who have more than 10 retail stores in a given region. There are nearly 100,000 farmers in Bulgaria, with 16,000 of them growing fruis and vegetables, Minister Taneva also said.

Period in which markets and flower exchanges remain closed cut down

As a result of the good organization created and the strict application of the anti-coronavirus measures at cooperative markets and flower exchanges in Bulgaria over the period from 13 to 15 April, 2020, Minister of Health Kiril Ananiev has allowed them to remain open on 16 April. Cooperative markets and flower exchanges will only remain closed from 17 to 19th April. During that period of time groceries on designated premises and pharmacies on the territory of markets will be allowed to work in strict compliance with all anti-coronavirus measures.

Compiled by Diana Tsankova and the news team 

You can find all stories and important publications related to COVID-19 in Bulgaria at our special coverage section in English.