Bulgaria’s capital Sofia extends school holidays to January 10 because of cold weather
Schools in Bulgaria’s capital city Sofia will remain closed on January 9 and 10 because of the cold winter weather, with a “code orange” dangerous weather warning declared for the city for the beginning of the week.
The forecast for Sofia for January 9 is for minimum temperatures between minus 17 and minus 20 degrees Celsius, rising to a maximum of minus 13 degrees.
Measurements of temperatures in schools in Sofia on January 8 showed that in some, the temperatures were below those required by regulations.
The municipality said that measurements of temperatures in the city’s classrooms would continue and if necessary, January 11 would also be declared a non-school day.
Since January 7, snow removal companies responsible for cleaning Sofia’s streets have given priority to ensuring access to schools and kindergartens.
In Bulgaria, the Christmas school holiday began on December 23. Schools had been scheduled to re-open on January 5, but because of influenza epidemics in several regions and plummeting temperatures along with heavy snowfalls, the Education Minister decreed the closure of all the country’s schools on January 5 and 6.
(Photo: Clive Leviev-Sawyer)
/Panorama