Restricted time intervals for entry and exit of Sofia revoked – entry now possible at any hour

Bulgaria’s Minister of Health Kiril Ananiev issued a regulation amending the old provision that was restricting travel by car for work in Sofia to two time intervals from 6.00 am and 8.00 am and from 6.00 pm and 8.00.

As of April 21, citizens going to work or returning home after work can enter or leave Sofia at any time after filling in declaration containing information about their workplace and their employer’s phone number. The new measure was adopted after hundreds of people waited for hours at the entry checkpoints and many of them were late for work.

By 10 am on Tuesday passenger cars were still forming miles-long lines at Sofia’s entry points.

Covid-19 infections in Bulgaria rise to 975, patients in hospital to 281

The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Bulgaria has reached 975, according to data from the National Crisis Staff. There are 9 new cases confirmed today. 281 patients are currently in hospital. 40 of the patients are in intensive care units.

80 of the persons with a confirmed Covid-19 infection are medics. 

The Covid-19 death toll in Bulgaria has reached 45.

Village near Pleven, Bukovlak, placed under quarantine

One of the large villages near the town of Pleven, Bukovlak, has been placed under a 14-day quarantine. It starts from midnight on April 21st. The reason for the quarantine is that 4 women with a confirmed coronavirus infection who work at a large sewing factory in Pleven live in the village. The village of Bukovlak has a population of over 5,000 residents.

Anti-epidemic measures loosened in 5 directions, frontline police officers to receive bonuses

"The open-air markets have been working since yesterday, today we removed the “window" for travelers so that the incoming and outgoing workers would not wait for hours, we allowed the immunization of babies, women's consultations and planned operations," Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said at an extraordinary briefing today. According to him, the government has made every effort not to make people feel like prisoners. Measures to facilitate access to parks will be discussed if there is no major change in the infections curve over the Easter break.

15,200 frontline police officers will receive an award of BGN 650 each (a total of BGN 10 million), Interior Minister Mladen Marinov announced.

Financial loans for freelances and the business sector to be approved

With eight financial instruments worth BGN 4.5 billion, the government will help small, medium and large enterprises, as well as individuals and self-insured citizens to withstand the shock of the crisis, Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov announced.

PM Borissov's hearing in Parliament on Covid-19 crisis in Bulgaria failed

The Bulgarian MPs were unable to gather a quorum twice today to hear the PM talk about the emergency measures taken so far in Bulgaria, as it was requested by the Bulgarian Socialist Party. The parliamentary group of GERB stated in advance that they would not attend the meeting. Later, at a briefing, the chairperson of the BSP, Kornelia Ninova, accused Boyko Borisov of ordering GERB lawmakers not to register for the parliamentary sitting, adding that the government was creating chaos, instilling fear and leaving people in the hands of fate.

The BSP is pushing for a clear plan to take the country out of the crisis and has renewed its request for a prime minister's hearing in parliament.

EC: Measures against Covid-19 should not endanger democracy

The European Commission has received the signal sent by the Bulgarian Pharmaceutical Union regarding the case with the union chairperson, Asena Stoimenova, who was accused of instilling panic in interviews given for Bulgarian public media outlets. The EC stresses that measures against the Covid-19 pandemic should be limited to the necessary protection of public health. This is especially important when it comes to freedom of expression. Free expression in the context of pluralism of views and the free flow of information are crucial for the democratic debate as well as for the scientific process, the response sent to the Bulgarian National Radio reads.

Asena Stoimenova was accused by the prosecutor's office for instilling fear over warnings she made in interviews of the risk of shortage of certain drugs in pharmacies in the context of the substance supply crisis.

46,000 working Bulgarians affected by the Covid-19 crisis

A total of 86 medium and large enterprises have been affected so far by the pandemic crisis, according to a CITUB study. 13% of companies resorted to redundancies, 78% put workers on paid leave and 26% on unpaid leave. (The total is more than 100, as more than one answer is given.) Data show that even after Easter, the trend remains of nearly ¾ of employees working in enterprises to be left on paid leave, and in every fourth company - on unpaid leave. In addition to the hospitality and tourism sectors, also the water and sewerage sector, the light industry, the automotive, transport, woodworking, the military and the manufacturing industries are massively affected by the crisis.

WWF Bulgaria: Cleaner air but at a high price

“The effect of the pandemic is versatile just like its impact on nature and the environment”, said in an interview with the Bulgarian National Radio Vesselina Kavrakova from WWF Bulgaria. Some effects are directly visible – cleaner air, cleaner water, but they come at a heavy price – a country in lockdown. The coronavirus pandemic enables us to take a new course, and the link between human health, prevention of such pandemics and the environmental protection is direct and this should be taken into consideration during the recovery of the national economies”, Kavrakova added.

Pre-school groups in Sofia's kindergartens to start distance learning

Online learning for children in kindergartens will be launched in Sofia, Deputy Mayor of Education and Culture of the capital city, Todor Chobanov, told the BNR. This will enable children aged 6 and 7 who are trained in the pre-school groups of kindergartens to cover the material necessary for admission in the first grade of the school system, Chobanov said.

"This is a great challenge for kindergartens as they are generally organized for group activities and group training. I am convinced that despite the difficulties, children will be able to cover the necessary learning material and prepare well for the next levels of education", Todor Chobanov said.

Tour operators and entrepreneurs have called for resignation of Minister of Tourism

The Future for Tourism Association, which includes tour operators, hoteliers, transport companies, tour guides and accommodation owners, representing more than 70 per cent of organizations and legal entities in the sector, have sent a letter to the Council of Ministers calling for the resignation of Minister of Tourism Nikolina Angelkova.

The association believes that the Ministry of Tourism has been having a selective dialogue with just a part of the sector, had no strategic plan to deal with the problems and made no proposals for anti-crisis measures. Trust in Minister Angelkova has been exhausted and as time passes by, the need for quick and working decisions made by a professional with real experience, appropriate educational qualification and above all a vision for Bulgarian tourism, becomes urgent, the letter reads.

Compiled by Diana Tsankova and Radio Bulgaria's News Team

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