15-kilometre line of vehicles waiting at border crossing into Greece

After the closure of border checkpoints to neighbouring countries, a 15-kilometre line of trucks, buses and cars formed at the Kulata-Promachonas border crossing between Bulgaria and Greece. According to border police data, traffic towards Greece has increased significantly within the space of only two hours. Greece is not allowing cars or buses into the country at its border with North Macedonia, and the traffic has most probably shifted across Bulgaria. This means that the stream of tourists towards Greece from Serbia, North Macedonia, Romania and Bulgaria is now heading, in full, towards Kulata-Promachonas border checkpoint. 

Bulgaria reports 165 new cases of Covid-19 in past 24 hours, total number of infected exceeds 5,000 people

165 new cases of Covid-19 have been reported in Bulgaria in the past 24 hours out of nearly 2,900 PCR tests made. Thus, the total number of people infected with the novel coronavirus exceeded 5,000, data of the Single Coronavirus Information Portal show. 46 new cases were registered in Sofia, followed by 33 in Plovdiv district. Two patients with Covid-19 died in the past 24 hours. 46 people recovered from the virus in the past 24 hours.

Growing number of new Covid-19 cases is not due to increased number of tests: Prof. Todor Kantardzhiev

The percentage of positive Covid-19 tests is growing, and this leads to an increase in the total number of people infected with the virus, Prof. Todor Kantardzhiev, director of the National Centre for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases said. In his words, at the beginning of the pandemic the levels were 1-2%, while now they are close to 10%. In an interview for BNT he stressed that at yesterday’s football match for the Cup of Bulgaria, it was clear to be seen that the fans were not observing any distancing. Prof. Kantardzhiev added that when people are embracing, shouting or singing together the chances of infection are highest, and that we shall see the result in 10 days’ time. 

We have been swimming in Covid-19 infodemia: WHO expert

“There is a 10-step protocol for relaxing Covid-19 measures,” said Assoc. Prof. Mihail Okoliiski, World Health Organization expert for the BNR.“It is crucial to create and maintain a high degree of trust among the population. I am very worried, and this is not an isolated phenomenon for Bulgaria, that we have been swimming in infodemia waters. Without any proof, people have been spreading false claims that the virus does not exist, that it is not dangerous or that the isolation and disinfection measures are not a good idea. This has instilled doubts in people, especially those without any medical education,” the expert says. “The most important thing is to make special efforts to protect the most vulnerable – the elderly and people with chronic diseases, for whom any contact with the virus will be fatal,” Assoc. Prof. Okoliiiski says. 

Bulgarian MPs fined for not wearing face masks in Parliament

Inspectors from the Sofia Regional Health Inspectorate fined Bulgarian MPs for violating the regulation of Bulgaria’s Health Minister for mandatory wearing of face mask in indoor public places. 24 MPs were sanctioned with EUR 150 each by the health inspectors. Some of them are planning to challenge the fines and claim that they had reason to take off their masks. Deputy President of Bulgaria’s National Assembly Valeri Simeonov said that he would make a proposal which envisages that MPs who speak from the Parliament’s rostrum and the MPs chairing the sitting in plenary are exempt from the requirement for obligatory wearing of face masks with the argument that the distance between them is more than 1.5 meters, which is in line with the requirement in the Health Minister’s regulation.

Parliament votes on Covid-19 compensations for farmers

The Bulgarian parliament has adopted at first reading the amendments to the Farmers' Support Act, which ensure the implementation of the new compensation measure amidst the Covid-19 crisis. The aid is in the form of a single sum payment, which will be made by 30 June 2021. The maximum amount must not exceed EUR 7 000 per farmer and EUR 50 000 per small or medium-sized enterprise. The measure will allow the use of the available financial resources under the rural development program for supporting both farmers and small and medium-sized enterprises.

Post-pandemic crisis could lead to a further deepening of the differences in the economic development of the countries of the EU

Much is expected of Germany’s presidency of the Council of the EU, Bulgaria’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva said during a virtual discussion “Germany’s EU Presidency and where Bulgaria stands”.The EU Green Deal and digital transformation are among the top priorities of the German Presidency, Minister Zaharieva said and expressed concern that the post-pandemic crisis could lead to a further deepening of the differences in the economic development of the countries of the EU. She expressed the hope that the European countries will continue the fight against the consequences of Covid-19 with perspicacity and mutual compromises.

Compiled by: Gergana Mancheva and Radio Bulgaria’s news team

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