“The epidemic situation in the country is improving on all counts – new infections, hospitalizations and deaths. Bulgaria is on its way out of the dark-red Covid-19 incidence rate zone. This is indicated by Health Ministry data. Nevertheless, there is still serious pressure on hospitals,” Minister of Health Stoycho Katsarov stated at a press conference.

On 1 December the country enters a new cycle of the extraordinary epidemic situation for a period of 4 months, for the duration of which the green certificate mandate for arrivals to the country remains in place. As of the same date, those who have entered the country without a certificate will have 72 instead of 24 hours to take a test so as to be exempt of quarantine. Because of the new mutation, this will not be valid for arrivals from South Africa, Minister Katsarov specified. As Greece is entering the red zone, stricter measures are expected for the Greek tourists expected to come to Bulgaria for the upcoming holidays. The new mutation which originated in South Africa has not yet been detected in this country, Bulgaria’s health minister said.

Minister Katsarov stated further that seeing as the European Medicines Agency, EMA, has approved vaccination with Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for children from the ages of 5 to 11, children in Bulgaria can be vaccinated too.