Bulgaria’s Minister of Tourism calls for open borders and free travel

Bulgaria supports the creation of "fast, green corridors" for vaccinated people and those who have already recovered from Covid-19. Meanwhile, travel restrictions should not apply to the rest of the European citizens. This should reboot tourism ecosystem and mobility, Bulgaria’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism Mariana Nikolova said at a video conference of the European Union Ministers of Tourism.
Minister Nikolova emphasized Bulgaria’s experience in developing domestic, SPA, wellness, medical and balneal tourism amid the Covid-19 pandemic. In her words, tourists in Bulgaria shifted towards safer modes of transport and smaller resorts and accommodation facilities, reports BTA.

Restaurants reopen for customers, nightclubs remain closed

On March 1, restaurants and entertainment establishments are reopening for customers. By order of Bulgaria’s Minster of Health, the catering establishments are required to work at no more than half their seating capacity, with no more than six customers per table. Meanwhile, the staff is required to wear face masks. The restaurants are allowed to work until 11.00 pm.
Group tourist trips, weddings, seminars, conferences and christenings are allowed, using 30% of the capacity of the premises. Nightclubs, piano bars and night bars remain closed.

A quarter of the food and drink establishments are not going to reopen, and more bankruptcies are expected in March, people from the industry say. The biggest problem for proprietors will be the staff many of whom have left, Horizont channel’s Natalia Ganchovska reports.

Bulgaria could have 70% of its population vaccinated by end June if there are enough vaccines: Health Minister

Our main goal is to keep the coronavirus pandemic under control, make people feel comfortable and convince them that we are managing to contain the spread of Covid-19, said Bulgaria’s Minister of Health Professor Kostadin Angelov for bTV.“If there are enough vaccines, 70% of Bulgaria’s population could be inoculated against Covid-19 by the end of June. We can administer between 500,000 and 600,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccines a month”, specified Minister Angelov. “That is why we want to borrow vaccines from France and Germany. We have not even received 40% of the agreed quantities of the AstraZeneca vaccine”, added Kostadin Angelov. Minister Angelov stressed that Bulgaria did not negotiate with the vaccine manufacturer on the delivery of Covid-19 vaccines. That is why it has sent its objections to the European Commission,which negotiated vaccine deliveries on behalf of the EU countries.

Bulgaria reports 332 new cases of Covid-19 out of 2,531 tests performed

332 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Bulgaria in the past 24 hours out of 2,531 tests performed, indicate data of the Single Coronavirus Information Portal. 13.1% of the tests have returned positive.408 people have recovered in the past 24 hours. There are 31,302 active cases of coronavirus infection at present. 4,744 patients are in hospital, 394 of them in intensive care units. 24 people have died in the past 24 hours. 2,685 Covid-19 vaccines have been administered in this country in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of inoculations to 212,445. Meanwhile, 37,379 Bulgarians have already received their second shot of Covid-19 vaccine.

21, 060 doses of Covid-19 vaccine arrive in Bulgaria

21, 060 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against Covid-19 arrived in Bulgaria today, the Health Ministry has announced. The vaccines are being distributed among the regional health inspectorates. Many of the “green corridors”, where all people wishing to can get a vaccine outside the priority groups, which reopened today, were once again closed because the vaccines ran out, BNR’s Horizont channel reports. 

Compiled by Yoan Kolev and Radio Bulgaria‘s “News” team

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