133 Bulgarian schools provide clean and safe environment for their pupils with the help of donation

Several days before the beginning of the new school year in Bulgaria, 133 primary schools received sanitary shoe insoles and disinfectants. The initiative belongs to several companies. It aims to reduce the spread of Covid-19 epidemic and provide clean and safe environment both for pupils and their teachers. The donation was given to the Bulgarian Red Cross. It is to be distributed between the schools and given to pupils before the beginning of the school year on September 15.

There are no other infected monks in Rila Monastery, results of Covid-19 tests show

The Covid-19 tests of the monks and the staff of the Rila Monastery who were in contact with thirty-nine-year-old archimandrite, who was admitted to Pirogov Emergency Hospital with coronavirus infection, returned negative, the district crisis headquarters in Kyustendil announced. A team of medics employed at the local hospital did the testing. The archimandrite who was diagnosed with Covid-19 has an address in Sofia. That is why the matter was referred to the Regional Health Inspectorate in Sofia and he is receiving medical treatment in Pirigov hospital, Matei Popnikolov, Deputy District Governor of Kyustendil region and member of the local coronavirus crisis headquarters said.

Bulgaria reports 122 new Covid-19 cases, or 2.37% of PCR tests performed

122 new Covid-19 cases have been registered in Bulgaria over the past 24 hours, or 2.37% out of the 5,145 PCR tests performed, Single Information Portal data show. This percentage for the previous two days stood at around 4%. The number of people infected with coronavirus since the start of the pandemic is now 17,435. 753 patients with coronavirus are in hospital, of them 60 are in intensive care. 178 have recovered over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of recoveries since the start of the pandemic up to 12,475. 9 have died, brining the death toll up to 701.

Germany lifts restrictions for arrivals from region of Dobrich

Germany has lifted the requirement for a PCR test or 14-day quarantine for arrivals from the region of Dobrich in Bulgaria. The reason is that as a result of improved figures regarding the spread of Covid-19, the Robert Koch institute has taken the region off the high-risk travel destinations list. On 7 August Germany declared 3 regions of Bulgaria – Dobrich, Blagoevgrad and Varna – to be high-risk destinations. On 21 August the country lifted the restrictions for Varna region. The restrictions for arrivals from the region of Blagoevgrad in Southwestern Bulgaria remain in place. 

Belgium moves Bulgaria’s northwest to “orange” coronavirus zone

Belgium’s federal public service of foreign affairs and foreign trade has moved Bulgaria’s Northwestern region (the districts of Vidin, Vratsa and Montana) from the “green zone” to the “orange zone”. All Bulgarian citizens travelling to Belgium from this zone are subject to advisable quarantine and a Covid-19 test. The zone codes are changed periodically depending on the epidemiological situation. The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry calls attention to the fact that all individuals travelling to Belgium, irrespective of the zoning or type of transport, must fill out a Public Health Passenger Locator Form no later than 48 hours prior to arrival, the BNR reports.

Compiled by: Ioan Kolev