Bulgaria to readopt some anti-epidemic measures if number of Covid-19 cases exceeds 200 a day

“We will have to readopt some anti-epidemic measures, if the number of Covid-19 cases exceeds 200 a day,” this country’s Minister of Health Kiril Ananiev said. “At this point we are not planning to introduce new measures, but if the situation worsens further we are ready to introduce the necessary measures at any time,” Minister Ananiev added.

Bulgaria reports 174 new cases of Covid-19

174 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Bulgaria in the past 24 hours out of 2,775 PCR tests performed. The total number of people infected with the novel coronavirus in this country rose to 5,914. There are 2,664 active cases. 470 Bulgarians are receiving hospital treatment, 29 of whom in intensive care units, data of the Single Coronavirus Information Portal shows. 4 people died of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours. The Covid-19 death toll rose to 250 people. 85 people have recovered in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of recoveries to 3,000. More than 156,000 coronavirus tests have been performed in Bulgaria between March and July 7.

Prime Minister orders bolstering of capacity of hospitals

“We must continue bolstering the capacity of the hospitals with Covid-19 units, so that they will have the necessary protective equipment, medication and personnel,” PM Borissov said.Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Boyko Borissov held a sitting with the National Coronavirus Headquarters. Special attention was given to the situation in the Balkans where the number of coronavirus cases in neighboring countries such as North Macedonia, Serbia, Kosovo and Turkey has started going up again.

The measures should have been continued for another 1-2 months: Academician Bogdan Petrunov

“The relaxation of the measures led to the spread of the epidemic,” Academician Bogdan Petrunov, former director of the National Centre of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases said for the BNR. He stated that the “soft measures” introduced should have been continued for another 1-2 months, and that if it wasn’t for public events such as football matches and graduation balls, we could have been “in much better control of the epidemic”. Academician Petrunov stated that an increase in the number of people infected and a reintroduction of stricter measures is inevitable. “As long as there are people who can get infected the coronavirus will continue to spread,” he said.

Severity of the measures must depend on the risk of situation: Dr. Alexander Simidchiev

“The problem is not in the measures but in their observance and in individual responsibility,” said pulmonologist Dr. Alexander Simidchiev for the BNR. He stressed that we must accept the new reality and live in it fully while complying with some simple rules. In the words of Dr. Simidchiev the measures must depend on the risk of the given situation. “I divide them up into four kinds – contact 1:1; 1:10; 1:100 and 1:1000 – such are matches and big concerts where one person might meet 1,000,” he says, adding that if it was up to him he would not allow football matches to be held.

Anxiety in Bulgarian society caused by Covid-19 pandemic is rising again: survey

Anxiety in Bulgarian society caused by the Covid-19 pandemic is rising again after the decrease registered in April. Earlier, 51% of the respondents were worried that they, or their family members, may get infected with the virus. At the end of June, 60% of the people surveyed were worried that they may be infected with the novel coronavirus, a poll conducted by Gallup International sociological agency shows. At the beginning of June, 72% of the respondents thought that the Covid-19 situation in Bulgaria was under control, whereas now this percentage has dropped to only 38%. The number of people who express confidence that their lives will return to normal completely has also gone down. 40% of the respondents believe that their lives will return to normal by the end of 2020, while in previous polls this percentage was 61%. Although the situation has become more alarming, the majority of the respondents (61%) say that the authorities should not tighten the measures again and 38% are of the opposite view. 59% of the people who took part at the survey say that the government is coping well with the crisis and 39% say it is not.

There is no room for panic over Covid-19: Professor Mira Kozhuharova

“There is no room for panic over the novel coronavirus,” virologist Professor Mira Kozhuharova told the Bulgarian National Radio. “It is quite normal to see a wider spread of Covid-19 with the easing of the anti-epidemic measures. The results of this spread continue to be good, because despite the increased number of Covid-19 cases, the number of people in serious condition is not high at all. Coronavirus is not the kind of contagious disease that should cause life to come to a standstill. That is why, preventive measures should be eased gradually,” Professor Kozhuharova contends.

EC predicts economic downturn for Bulgaria

Bulgaria's GDP in 2020 will shrink by 7.1%, and in 2021 will return to a growth of 5.3 percent, according to the summer economic forecast of the European Commission. Despite the good economic performance at the beginning of the year, the Covid-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the economy, the European Commission notes in relation to Bulgaria. It points to declining private consumption due to the restrictive measures, while reduced revenues, lower capacity utilization and greater uncertainty are limiting investment.

Compiled by: Diana Tsankova 

You can find all stories and important publications related to COVID-19 in Bulgaria at our special coverage section in English.

You can also follow all latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak and all measures in Bulgaria in 9 more languages at Radio Bulgaria.