Prime Minister Borissov: No new restrictions currently planned because of Covid-19

Introducing new restrictions in Bulgaria is currently not necessary, although there has been a gradual rise in the number of Covid-19 cases. This was what Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said at a working meeting with the participation of Minister of Health Kostadin Angelov, Minister of Economy, Lachezar Borisov, representatives of the National Operational Headquarters and the Vaccine Task Force.

"In Bulgaria, we apply the most liberal measures possible, no matter how much some challenge them," the Prime Minister said. Businesses where many people interact together were limited, which allowed citizens to move freely, he added

According to the head of the Operational Headquarters, Ventsislav Mutafchiyski, the number of patients with coronavirus in hospitals has increased by 10% for a week and the rise in morbidity on a 14-day basis has reached about 40%. At the same time the vaccination process in Bulgaria has been gaining speed.

Delivery of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines to Bulgaria postponed due to bad weather

The delivery of 17,550 doses of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines to Bulgaria has been postponed due to adverse weather conditions, this country’s Ministry of Health announced. The vaccines had to arrive in Bulgaria on Monday morning.

Due to bad weather in Germany, it is not clear yet when the plane that transports the vaccines to Bulgaria will be able to take off, announced the company that delivers the vaccines to Bulgaria.

Bulgaria reports 182 new cases of Covid-19 out of 2,663 tests performed

182 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Bulgaria in the past 24 hours out of 2,663 tests performed, indicate data of the Single Coronavirus Information Portal. 6.8% of the tests have returned positive results. The highest number of new infections was reported in Sofia-80, followed by Blagoevgrad-27 and Kyustendil-14.

20 patients have died and 60 people have recovered in the past 24 hours.

3,126 patients are being treated in hospital, including 278 in intensive care wards.

The total number of inoculations in Bulgaria amounts to 57,038. 17,392 Bulgarians have received their second doze of Covid-19 vaccine.

Bulgaria grants more than EUR 413 million under 60/40 wage support scheme

More than EUR 413 million has been granted under the 60/40 wage support scheme during the coronavirus pandemic, announced Bulgaria’s National Social Security Institute. 11,925 employers were supported and 265,137 people preserved their jobs as of February 2, reads the announcement of NSSI.

The largest amount was paid to people employed at the processing industry, followed by the hospitality industry, trade, mining, transport and postal services.

Most companies that received assistance under the 60/40 measure were registered in Bulgaria’s capital Sofia.

Tourism business can apply for state aid

Starting February 8, all interested tour operators and travel agents can apply for grants from the state budget to cover losses caused by Covid-19. Guidelines for applying have been uploaded on the website of the Ministry of Tourism. We hope to optimize the application procedure in this way, Minister of Tourism Mariana Nikolova has told representatives of the branch in Targovishte, BTA has reported.

The measure provides state aid in the form of direct grants and has a total estimated budget of 26 million euros. The size of grants is 4 percent of the turnover of the companies in 2019, the Minister has recalled.

Foreigners now focusing on properties in Varna and Burgas

British and Russian citizens have been selling their holiday properties en masse in small settlements on the Bulgarian Black Sea coasts and are now focusing on homes in big cities such as Varna and Burgas. This is what Kaloyan Balinov, owner of a real estate agency, has told Radio Varna.

Among the reasons are insecurity and travel restrictions caused by the global pandemic. "Initially, they bought holiday properties in Bulgaria to come here on vacation in the summer. However, many of them decided to stay longer and headed to the big cities", Balinov says. Representatives of more non-traditional markets such as Italy, France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands are also interested in properties in Varna and the region. According to Balinov, this is largely due to the rising number of mixed marriages observed in recent years.

The pandemic has curbed planned investment of 46% of Bulgarian companies

Since the establishment of the European Fund for Strategic Investments, better known as the Juncker Plan, projects in Bulgaria using its framework total 773 million euros. The guarantees are expected to attract 4.7 billion euros in investments. according to a report by the European Investment Bank, presented by Lilyana Pavlova, vice president of the institution.

According to the analysis, the pandemic has limited planned investments of 46% of Bulgarian companies. Only 7 percent have invested more than planned. The reaction of Bulgarian companies to the pandemic corresponds to the EU average. 25 percent report growth in the use of digital technologies. They also expect a permanent reduction in employment.

Compiled by Diana Tsankova and Radio Bulgaria's News Team

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