Hospitals must show solidarity amid Covid-19 pandemic: Professor Asen Baltov

The number of intensive care beds at Pirogov hospital for active treatment and emergency medicine are to be increased, Director of Pirogov hospital Professor Asen Baltov announced. An entire floor of the hospital has to be closed. 60 medics from Pirogov hospital infected with Covid-19 will receive medical treatment there, Asen Baltov said further. In Professor Baltov’s view, 13 hospitals in Sofia are not enough to admit all Covid-19 patients who need active treatment. That is why all hospitals must show solidarity and admit such patients, Professor Baltov went on to say.

Conditions and order for transition to distance learning have been specified

Schools can switch over to distance learning after permission is given by the Minister of Education and on a proposal by school principals, the Ministry of Education ordered, BTA reports. The proposal to move to e-learning will be made by headmasters in areas with complicated epidemic situation which fall into the red or orange zone, and when the school has an increasing number of absentees or people under quarantine, an increasing number of positive tests for Covid-19 or multiple cases of influenza. The proposal has to be taken by the pedagogical council, the opinion of the majority of parents is also taken into account, the order reads.

Bulgaria’s Prosecutor General Geshev self-quarantines

Bulgaria’s Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev announced on his official Twitter account that he had self-isolated, because a family member had tested positive for Covid-19. Ivan Geshev placed himself under quarantine and pending instructions from Bulgaria’s health authorities. "We are helping the Bulgarian doctors in their fight against the Covid-19 pandemic by setting a personal example", Ivan Geshev wrote on the social network and wished everyone sound health.

14.5% of 2,257 tests return positive for Covid-19

327 is the number of new cases of coronavirus infection in this country over the past 24, or 14.5% of the 2,257 PCR tests performed. Out of 661,859 tests carried out since the beginning of the pandemic, 37,889 are positive, or 5.7% of all tests. More than 345,000 Bulgarians have been quarantined since the beginning of the epidemic, 24,000 are currently in quarantine, BNT has reported. 
The active cases are 18,441 as 2,036 patients are in hospital and 146 are in intensive care. 122 people have recovered over the past 24 hours, the total number of recoveries since the beginning of the pandemic has reached 18,354. 10 patients have died over the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 1,094.

Restaurant owners consider possibility of launching protests

Organizations of owners of food and drink establishments in Bulgaria are considering the possibility to launch protests due to the closure of night clubs and discos. 120,000 people employed in this sector may lose their jobs and remain without incomes amid the coronavirus crisis, unless a compromise solution is reached with the competent authorities. The representatives of this business reiterate that enhanced inspections in recent days have shown that there are no significant violations. The Association of Restaurants in Bulgaria announced that they will to demand the resignations of the town mayors who signed the closure orders, BTA reports.

Compiled by Yoan Kolev

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