Bulgaria will not set severe restrictions on businesses and citizens despite already being affected by the European summer wave of coronavirus, announced Prime Minister Kiril Petkov on Thursday, July 14, at the briefing after the meeting of the Council of Ministers.
Chief State Health Inspector Angel Kunchev at the Council of Ministers and other representatives of the health officials were also present to discuss the Action Plan of the government.
During the briefing, Petkov also stated that the government will not shut down any shops, bars or restaurants and will not reintroduce certificates of COVID-19.
On the other hand, case numbers have risen in Bulgaria in the past two weeks.
Still, more than 100 of 100,000 individuals tested positive in the past two weeks, and the exact number is possibly much higher as the testing rate is four to five times less than during spring.
Meanwhile, data reveals that lesser Bulgarians who test positive for COVID require hospital treatment and that ICUs are not overcrowded.
Bulgaria’s death rate from Covid is the second highest in the world per capita after Peru.
Petkov added that the data reveals that Bulgarians can now have a calm summer.
Kunchev said that wearing masks in hospitals as well as social homes would be compulsory and could also become compulsory in public transport and shops.
About the new COVID-19 variant, Kunchev stated it is much milder than others, and most people recover in around five to six days. The Covid wave in Bulgaria is predicted to peak in August.
Kunchev stated that the rise in the number of cases would persist, but if it does not lead to a more severe course, to a burden on the health care system, and doesn’t put the lives and health of patients at risk, we will deal with this situation.
During last week, Bulgaria reported an average of 1200 COVID-19 cases daily. Just over 32% of Bulgarians are vaccinated, which is the lowest share in the EU.