1 in 1,000 Bulgarians to be tested for Covid-19

Since the beginning of the epidemic, 27,000 PCR tests have been carried out in Bulgaria, said Prof. Todor Kantardzhiev, Director of the National Centre for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases. The goal is to do conduct 7,000 tests a week in order to reach 1 in every 1,000 Bulgarian citizens. There are 3 priority groups for the testing. The first is medical staff - mainly front-line doctors and emergency teams. The second group are patients with lung conditions and the third group is sick persons from the staff of companies.

Number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 infection in Bulgaria reaches 1024

The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Bulgaria has reached 1024, according to data from the National Crisis Headquarters. 9 new cases have been proven today as 3 are in Sofia, 2 in Plovdiv, 2 in Kyustendil, 1 in Pazardzhik and 1 in Pernik. 262 persons with confirmed Covid-19 have been hospitalized, as 37 of them are in intensive care. 83 of the infected patients are medical staff. So far, 49 people with coronavirus infection have passed away and 174 have recovered.

Just one out of 400 Sofia public transport drivers tested for Covid-19 is infected

Out of 400 drivers in Sofia’s public transport tested for coronavirus, only one has tested positive for Covid-19. The infected driver was on a leave and was not in contact with his co-workers, it was reported. A second test is yet to be conducted.Testing of urban transport drivers in the capital city for infection continues.

Number of unemployed Bulgarians declines

The number of unemployed Bulgarians who register at the labor offices has been declining for nearly a week, this Minister of Labor and Social Policy Denitsa Sacheva announced.  An average of 2.300 Bulgarians register as unemployed on a daily basis, down from 7,000-8,000 during the peak of the crisis. Nearly 82,000 people have become unemployed since the beginning of the crisis. Meanwhile, 15,000 Bulgarians were employed in this period. In 13 working days, applications of 72,000 people employed at 278 companies were approved under the 60/40 wage support scheme. Nearly half of them (48.5%) are employed in the tourism and hotel industry. That is why the calls for resignation of Bulgaria’s Minister of Tourism Nikolina Angelkova are unfounded, Minister Sacheva said.

European Council to seek consensus for roadmap towards lifting Covid-19 containment measures

The cabinet has approved Bulgaria’s position that will be voiced at the video-conference sitting of the European Council scheduled for April 23. The Council will seek consensus for joint European roadmap towards lifting Covid-19 containment measures. Bulgaria supports the agreed and synchronized actions of the EU member states for exiting the crisis aimed at reducing the risk of a second wave caused by the free movement of people. We should go deeper into the various aspects of the Covid-19 crisis first, especially in its health aspects, before shifting to decisive measures for economic recovery, the Bulgarian position reads.

Opposition calls against phone tracking of quarantined citizens

The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) called on the Constitutional Court to revoke texts from the Electronic Communications Act allowing the Ministry of Interior to monitor the people placed under quarantine through their mobile phones. According to BSP Deputy Chairman Krum Zarkov, the authorities were allowed to track the mobiles of the Bulgarian citizens without a preliminary court decision. This measure is used to track terrorists only, Krum Zarkov further said.

Quarantined people to be monitored via smart wristbands

The Bulgarian Red Cross received a donation of 50 smart wristbands for people placed under home quarantine. A built-in GPS module will signal the authorities, if a person violates the quarantine. The voice call function will make it easy for users to make quick contact if they need medical assistance or connection with the responsible services. In the beginning, the bracelets will be tested in Sofia.

Amnesty International criticizes authorities for actions in Romani neighborhoods

The human rights organization called it "arbitrary and disproportionate" to quarantine a number of Romani neighborhoods in a pandemic situation under the pretext of safety measures. "The lockdown of Romani neighborhoods creates unnecessary tension," Ognyan Isaev of the Trust for Social Alternative told BNR. Meanwhile, several hundred people gathered today at one of the checkpoints in the Filipovtsi residential area to express their dissatisfaction with anti-epidemic measures. According to the Ministry of Interior, most of them had no registrations and were therefore not allowed to leave the neighborhood.

Anxiety in Bulgarian society related to Covid-19 starts to subside

Bulgarian society has reached the plateau of anxiety, Parvan Simeonov, executive director of Gallup International, told the Bulgarian National Radio. According to the research conducted, anxiety has stopped growing in recent weeks in the country.

No duty tax on imports of personal protective equipment

There will be no import duties and value added tax on medicines, medical devices and personal protective equipment needed in the fight against Covid-19. This was decided by the government at a distant meeting. The decree is linked to a European decision on lifting import duties and VAT on goods necessary to combat the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Compiled by Diana Tsankova and Radio Bulgaria's News Team

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

You can also follow all latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak and all measures in Bulgaria in 9 more languages at Radio Bulgaria.