Sofia with ban on entry and exit of passenger vehicles

Because of the mass increase in traffic to the countryside for the Easter holidays at the backdrop of the epidemic, entry and departure from Sofia of all passenger vehicles has been banned from April 17 until second order. Health Minister Ananiev has issued an order on the recommendation of the crisis headquarters and PM Boyko Borissov, which you can get acquainted with here.

21 new coronavirus cases in Bulgaria

According to data from the National Operational Headquarters responsible for the fight against coronavirus, as of 5:00 pm on April 17, the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 infection in this country has reached 846 in total. Newly registered cases are in the areas of Sofia, Vidin,Stara Zagora, Haskovo, Gabrovo, Ruse and Sliven.

Central bus station in Sofia closed, trains pass transit through Sofia

Due to the introduced restrictive measures for entering and exiting the city of Sofia, all trains arriving and departing from the Central Station of Sofia are running with an irregular schedule, the Bulgarian State Railways informs.Trains traveling in the direction of Sofia Central Station will not stop at the stations and stops on the territory of Sofia. In this way the closest to Sofia stops along the train routes will be the stations Elin Pelin, Kostinbrod, Yana, Rebrovo and Vladaya.When undertaking a trip, BDZ's clients need to have all the necessary documents and completed declarations on the basis of their trip, as they are subject to inspection before being admitted to the train.

In the meantime, the Sofia Central Bus Station closed and the measure will remain in effect until 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 21, BNT reported.

Tension in Sofia's Romani residential areas now under control

About 50 people gathered this afternoon near one of the checkpoints in the residential area of Fakulteta to protest against the restrictive measures introduced there. It took an hour for police  to take control of the situation and tensions subsided.

The Head of the National Operational Headquarters, Gen. Ventsislav Mutafchiyski reported that 50% of the quick tests conducted on April 16 in the two districts with compact Romani population - Fakulteta and Filipovtsi turned out positive in PCR testing.

In an interview with the BNR Sofia Mayor Fandakova said there was no discrimination but the aim was to save lives and curb the spread of the virus as outbreaks of Covid-19 have been found in the neighborhoods.

Bulgarian innovation to help in fight against coronavirus

An innovative Bulgarian creation - a disinfection booth, will be provided to a hospital in Sofia treating Covid-19 patients.The innovation is the work of engineer Ventsislav Slavkov, manager of the Bulgarian-German company that produced the system. The booth can be used for the disinfection of personnel after exiting hazardous areas, as well as for the pre-disinfection of personnel working in the food industry and agriculture. The boot was developed in a very short time as it took experts 10 days to make the first 2 prototypes.

Military Medical Academy doctors with message to Bulgarians

On Good Friday, the teams at the Military Medical Academy in Sofia that are on the Covid-19 fight front line made a new appeal to their fellow citizens. In a video message posted on the hospital’s Facebook page doctors said: "At Easter we will be at work; we will not be going home. At Easter, we will be taking care of our patients. At Easter we will pray here, at the hospital, which is our second home. Stay at home and celebrate Resurrection at home.”

Gestures of recognition for medics continue

Second-graders from Madan donated their money, raised for an excursion and a celebration, to the local hospital “Prof. Dr. Konstantin Chilov." In recognition to doctors in their fight against the coronavirus, the children from the II "A" class of "Father Paisius" School donated collected 100 euros to the hospital with a card reading: "We support you and wish you much health and good luck!".

The Roma community in Dobrich (northeastern Bulgaria) donated to the hospital in the city nearly 3500 euros. The sum was collected in three days, with the desire to purchase personal protective equipment for the medics. Money was also raised to buy food packages for people in need in Dobrich.

Covid-19 brings changes to church rituals on Good Friday

The Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church announced that on Good Friday believers who go to church must not kiss or touch the Epitaphios (Plashtanitsa). They must not crawl under it, nor lay flowers and geranium, but should only make the sign of the cross and a deep bow. The Synod recalls that church-goers must wear masks inside and outside the churches, as well as keep at a safe distance from one another.