Podkrepa Labour Confederation: In-person start of the school year

There is no doubt that there will be in-person school attendance on 15 September, as is the wish of 90% of the parents, the “Education” trade union of the Podkrepa Confederation of Labour points out in a position to the media.
Besides full-time education, parents can choose informal or individual forms of learning, but depriving students of socialization and schooling at an early stage, without incontestable medical reasons means depriving children of a fundamental right, the right to education, the trade union writes, and adds that Bulgarian teachers are categorical that they will not accept any other form of schooling except in-person teaching.  

What steps will be taken if there is a Covid-19 case at school?

A decision is expected to be made by the end of the week on what steps are to be taken at schools if a Covid-19 case is confirmed during the new school year, said Chief State Health Inspector Assoc. Prof. Dr. Angel Kunchev in Sliven. 
In the words of Dr. Kunchev the new Russian coronavirus vaccine cannot be used in Europe at this stage, the BNR’s correspondent in Sliven Stoyan Radev reports.

A test certificate is no longer required of truck drivers crossing Kulata-Promachonas border check point on the Bulgaria-Greece border, BNR’s correspondent Katya Peeva reports. It is the only land border crossing which is open 24-hours a day. As of today passengers arriving at Greek airports from Sweden, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands are also required to have a negative PCR test for coronavirus, performed no later than 72 hours prior to travelling.  

Bulgaria reports 32 new cases of Covid-19 from 781 tests in past 24 hours

The new cases of coronavirus over the past 24 hours registered in Bulgaria are 32. With 781 PCR tests performed, a little over 4 percent of the samples tested have returned positive.  The official data of the National Information Portal as of midnight show that 25 patients have recovered and 56 remain in intensive care units. Three people have died.

2/3  of the compensations paid out were targeted at the economic sectors affected most badly

67% of the money the state has paid out to employers has been to preserve jobs during the state of emergencydeclared on 13 March, 2020, and was targeted at the economic sectors hit hardest by the pandemic. These are the processing industry, the hotel and restaurant business and trade, indicates an analysis by the National Social Security Institute of the compensations paid out to businesses for overcoming the consequences of the coronacrisis. Almost 50% of all companies which received assistance are concentrated in Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna.

Minister of health says he is ready for dialogue with protesting nurses

Minister of Health Prof. Kostadin Angelov declared he was ready to meet with the nurses and discuss their professional demands with them. Prof. Angelov made this statement in Rousse in connection with the indefinite protest by nurses in front of the Ministry of Health building. Minister Angelov paid a visit to Rousse to meet with hospital managements. 
Kostadin Angelov said further that he doubted there was discontent among nurses on a national scale, and pointed out that he had not met with any such discontent during his travels around the country. In his words nurses’ salaries depend on the executive directors of the medical institutions.“The measures the government has taken in the context of the pandemic will lead to an increase in the budgets of the medical establishments,” Minister Angelov pointed out, BNR’s correspondent in Rousse Asya Pencheva reports. 

Compiled by Elena Karkalanova

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