The strict restrictions on movement and travel in recent weeks have given a boost to the virtualization of the daily life and work of Bulgarians. More and more activities are being done online and no longer require the physical presence of citizens. This practice is not completely unknown so far in the country, but the current scale of online activities is unprecedented. This comes to show two things – first, that Bulgarians are trying to both have a normal life and at the same time comply with the restrictive measures imposed by the coronavirus outbreak; and second, that many spheres of life have found their new form of existence and work.

The transition of life into the virtual space is going smoothly and without upheaval for now. Every day, new businesses, organizations, institutions and activities are being integrated into the virtual cloud. "The pandemic situation has accelerated the process of digitalisation of business operations and put on the agenda the ability of companies and their people to adapt, as well as issues of cybersecurity, processing of large data sets and counteracting fake news," stressed the Vice-President of the Bulgarian Business Leaders Forum Iravan Hira during an online discussion entitled “Business during a Coronavirus” with the participation of more than 30 companies.

The closing of a huge number of people at home, the remote work, the layoffs of personnel and the entire panic surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic have changed the use of the internet. So far, online shopping has attracted the highest interest. It remains at the forefront of Bulgarian internet consumers' preferences, but according to research firms, the growth in interest in this activity is not significant due to the crisis, with the exception of online shopping for groceries, which has seen a boom of more than 400% since March 15 in Bulgaria. On the other hand, the internet traffic generated by Bulgarian tourism and travel sites has literally collapsed.

Online education is experiencing a boom. School and university students in Bulgaria have been on a “virus” vacation for three weeks now, but most schools have managed to move their lectures and courses online. Data from Bulgaria’s Ministry of Education show that 90% of students have switched to distance learning.

The closed restaurants are also trying to replace real customers with virtual ones, yet so far without much success and with minimal revenue. By contrast, news websites cannot complain about a lack of interest in their activity, which, however, is at the expense of paper newspapers and magazines that are going through difficult times, despite their attempts to provide original content in an attractive form.

Public administration has been paying close attention to online services, as for a long time it has been making unsuccessful attempts to implement the so-called "e-government" in Bulgaria. Following the example of the European Council, the Bulgarian cabinet also holds the meetings of the Council of Ministers online. In Bulgaria, for a long time, much of the services of the tax administration in the face of the National Revenue Agency, the municipal administrations, a number of ministries and state agencies have been available online, with the desire to facilitate the citizens, giving them the opportunity to receive and send various documents electronically. This is also true of the National Social Security Institute, which thus shows concern for one of the social groups most vulnerable to the coronavirus infection - the elderly pensioners. Not to mention the convenient and fast online banking, a service offered by all banks in the country which has been successful for a long time with banking clients.

The list of online services can also include the online shows of a number of Bulgarian theatres. It is also worth noting that many charity campaigns have also gone online. The Bulgarian Red Cross has launched an online chat for psychological support, which in many cases is just as necessary as material or medical support.

The coronavirus crisis can also have a positive impact on the country. Iliya Krastev, Chairman of the Board of the Association for Innovation, Business Excellence, Services and Technologies, has announced that the state will receive gratuitously at least 15 thousand working hours by companies that offer business services to improve the public systems in the country, specifically the healthcare system. Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev has explained that this would allow us to build an electronic health system with an electronic health card and e-prescription within a few months.

An important step towards consolidating the available information and assistance to people with coronavirus symptoms is the launch on April 4^th of a new mobile application developed by Bulgarian IT companies and donated to the Bulgarian government. The ViruSave system has a central register that collects information and sends it to all state authorities. Every Bulgarian citizen, whether in Bulgaria or abroad and regardless of the mobile operator he or she uses, can download the mobile application voluntarily on his/her personal phone and share his/her health status with the health authorities, as the information will automatically reach his/her doctor. The application also collects geodata so that the National Crisis Staff for tackling the coronavirus epidemic, based on the developed national operating system, can analyse where people can be provided with medical treatment if they become patients. The information about the spread of Covid-19 and information about the patients who have recovered will help the authorities make fully informed decisions on how to loosen the restrictive measures in Bulgaria, said the head of the National Crisis Staff, Prof. Ventsislav Mutafchiiski.