In addition to the health-care system, the pressure caused by Covid-19 has had an impact on all other sectors and policies in the world and in Bulgaria. A comprehensive picture and assessment of the consequences of the restrictive measures imposed on the activity of small and medium-sized businesses cannot be made yet. Unemployment figures in this country are constantly changing, but one thing is clear - the problem is serious. Its solution requires both purposeful state policies and personal initiative on the part of citizens. Bulgarian actor Naum Shopov has also paid efforts in this direction. Together with a team of like-minded people he has created a platform to help those employed in liberal professions.

"I have had this idea for 5-6 years, but I did not have enough time, patience and financial resources to implement it. Fortunately, about a year and a half ago, we started working on it. The idea for the platform is to unite a variety of people from the liberal professions and small businesses, so they can take advantage of various services offered by them. In the second half of 2020 more than 130,000 people were laid off. Our goal is to help those in difficult situation, to find clients for their business or freelance work and to allow them to move forward.”

The actor says that despite the fear of the future, the topic of activities that could bring additional income will remain relevant. 9,000 people have already registered in the platform and the number continues to grow.

Naum Shopov belongs to the young generation of Bulgarian actors who fearlessly embark on various challenges. He is named after one of the iconic figures of Bulgarian theater and cinema - his grandfather Naum Shopov, known as "an actor with titanic power on stage." His father Hristo Shopov is also a famous actor. Despite the fact stage and cinema have been part of his life from an early age, young Naum Shopov chose another passion he discovered as a student. "It was very interesting for me to know how cells work and what the logic of life processes is," he explains his affinity for science and biology. That's why he studied Medicine and graduated two years ago, but has not yet started the required specialization. On the other hand, he has become popular among the Bulgarian television audience thanks to his role of a doctor in a series.

He says he did not have the opportunity to be in the "eye of the storm" among his fellow medics. However, he is sure that what happened has changed them and "taught them twice as much discipline."

A lesson that society should learn from the present situation is the meaning of solidarity:

"I think solidarity is a good word, but when it gets too accumulated, people stop being so tolerant to others. This is especially evident in times when they face severe stress. That is why we need to be careful to each other more than ever. You know, when tension builds up, sometimes character traits that are not pretty at all, show up.”

English: Alexander Markov