Covid-19 in Bulgaria: Day 53

10 new cases of Covid-19, 243 persons recovered

Today, 10 new cases of persons infected with the novel coronavirus have been proven in Bulgaria, with 4 in Sofia district, 3 in Kyustendil district, 2 in Vratsa district and 1 in Ruse district. With them, the total number of registered cases rises to 1,447. Among the cities with the highest number of infections are Sofia - 708, Pleven - 133, and Vidin - 83.

310 people with confirmed Covid-19 are in hospital, 38 are in intensive care units. 155 are medical staff with confirmed coronavirus infection. The number of Covid-19 relared deaths rose to 64. There are 243 cured persons so far.

Starting today, the mass testing for Covid-19 of employees of social and nursing homes in Sofia District has started.

3 passengers aboard Bulgaria Air flight from Amsterdam to Sofia on April 26 test positive for Covid-19, authorities seek to contact the other passengers

The Bulgarian authorities are trying to contact the passengers of Bulgaria Air who flew from Amsterdam to Sofia on April 26, because 3 people on board this flight have been diagnosed with Covid-19, Bulgaria's National Crisis Headquarters announced. A total of 95 passengers were on board the flight.

The Bulgarian Police has specified that all arriving passengers are obliged to fill in declarations upon their entry in Bulgaria and write where they are arriving from and on which address they will spend the mandatory 14-day quarantine.

The authorities call on all passengers who were on board this flight to get in touch. They are also trying to find taxi drivers who took the arriving passengers from Sofia airport.

Bulgaria's schools to only reopen for end-of-school-year exams

Bulgarian schools will complete the 2019/2020 academic year via distance learning as students will return to the classrooms only in order to take their final exams. This decision was taken today by Bulgaria's Education and Science Minister Krasimir Valchev in co-operation with representatives of teachers' and parents' organizations. Where necessary, schools will be allowed to organize individual consultations for children involving physical attendance of the school.

The dates of the end-of-school-year exams are yet to be specified.

Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva: Seasonal workers can travel abroad at their own risk

Amidst a global pandemic, please do not travel abroad except as a last resort, said Bulgaria's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva in an interview for the national TV channel bTV. Regarding those who have decided to travel abroad for seasonal work now, she stressed: "They leave at their own risk and their own responsibility. The Bulgarian government does not organize this".

Some 50 to 60 thousand Bulgarians seek jobs as seasonal workers abroad every year, Zaharieva added.

60/40 Scheme for helping business to continue operation after end of state of emergency

Minister of Labor and Social Policy Denitsa Sacheva said that the measure 60/40, introduced by the government to support employment in small and medium-sized businesses, will continue to work after the end of the current state of emergency. The measure was proposed during the state of emergency ending on May 13, but will remain in force until the middle of June, it was reported.

Since the beginning of the crisis, nearly 88,000 unemployed have been registered with the labor offices. The total number of registered unemployed is 291,000. About 12,000 people who have previously worked in the informal economy without proper employment agreements were left without assistance, Minister Sacheva said.

Over 50% of bus operators in Bulgaria blocked by coronavirus crisis

President of the Confederation of Bus Carriers, Magdalena Miltenov, has told BTA that in at the backdrop of emergency measures related to the coronavirus crisis, more than 50 percent of the 1500 companies operating in the sphere of public transport in this country remain blocked.

Only regular urban and intercity lines continue to operate, while all other types of transport, including international, specialized transport, transportation of students, etc. have been discontinued. In these circumstances, government measures to save small and medium-sized businesses are of critical importance to the industry and the Confederation hopes that bankruptcies would be avoided.

EC approves easing of conditions for supporting Bulgarian small and medium-sized businesses

The Bulgarian Fund of Funds has received approval from the European Commission to ease the conditions for using financial instruments to support the most vulnerable segment of the country's economy - small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups. Much of the EUR 150 million (approximately BGN 294 million) resource is now available for startups and innovative companies.

The funds will support 400 companies in the fields of biotechnology, robotics, information technology, the pharmaceutical industry, and others.

HIV and hepatitis counseling at Center for Sexual Health renewed

After a month's stop because of measures against the spread of Covid-19, the free testing and counseling for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C at the Center for Sexual Health in the capital city of Sofia have been resumed.

Elena Birindzhieva, chairman of Health without Borders Association, told the BNR that about 6,000 people are tested for these infections annually. Particularly among HIV patients, anxiety is now absolutely understandable, as in most cases, they have a compromised immune system. According to Birindzhieva, if a person received treatment against HIV, there was nothing to worry about.

The association is in contact with three HIV-infected patients who are also infected with coronavirus and show very mild symptoms as one of the patients is a carrier of coronavirus without showing any symptoms at all.

Bulgaria’s cabinet to finance expansion of vaccines production

I will discuss with the Minister of Finance Vladislav Goranov whether the cabinet can finance with EUR 11 million three new programmes of the state-owned enterprise BulBio, Bulgaria’s Premier Boyko Borissov said during his visit to the National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases. The company produces BCG vaccines for Latin America, almost all African countries and Southeast Asia and has developed a project for manufacture of serum from animals. The National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases assured that the expected financing will be used to expand the capacity for manufacture of a huge quantity of vaccines.

Banking sector in Bulgaria is stable despite difficulties

The President of the Association of Banks in Bulgaria, Peter Andronov, said that the banking system in the country was stable and in recent years has accumulated buffers and reserves, which allow it to face difficulties in this period.

In the past ten days alone, payments on 25,000 loans have been deferred. Providing state-guaranteed non-interest-bearing loans have also started. In addition to the Bulgarian measures announced by the Development Bank, the companies have opportunities related to European programs. Such programs are being prepared by the European Investment Bank and the European Investment Fund, Peter Andronov added.

Compiled by Diana Tsankova and Radio Bulgaria's News Team

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