Covid-19: Bulgaria’s Plovdiv cancels all weddings
The crisis staff against coronavirus in Bulgaria’s city of Plovdiv has cancelled all weddings in the municipality, local media reported on March 18.
The ban came into effect at the beginning of the week and will remain in force until April 13, the end of Bulgaria’s national State of Emergency.
The report said that most engaged couples had already cancelled their weddings because of difficulties in relatives abroad getting to Bulgaria.
This was among developments reported on Wednesday morning in relation to the Covid-19 situation. A morning briefing by the crisis staff was told that the number of confirmed cases remained 81, unchanged since the 5pm briefing on Tuesday.
The head of Bulgaria’s Association of Debt Collectors said that its member companies were amending their system of working but would continue collecting debts unless the state ordered otherwise.
“We
currently have a great understanding and tolerance for consumers. We
are all ready to show great flexibility and allow consumers to take a
breath of air in this difficult situation,” association
president Rainina Mitkova-Todorova told Bulgarian National
Radio.
“But we also have our responsibility that our
economy must continue to function in some way. And our appeal to the
Bulgarian citizens is to isolate, to think about tomorrow, but to be
able to pay off their obligations,”Mitkova-Todorova said.
Prosecutor-General Ivan Geshev, who has publicly criticised the government’s State of Emergency measures against coronavirus as not going far enough, called for a national curfew and controls over movement in major cities.
Geshev said in an interview with Nova Televizia that he wanted “radical measures”.
“Our country is almost at war…we are at war for the survival of Bulgarian citizens. The sooner we understand that, the fewer casualties we will have.
“Time is running out. We need to prepare for the most negative options. If you want peace, prepare for war. I suspect that if we don’t, it will be the same in our country as in Italy and Spain. I’m not saying that to create panic. We can get through this situation only if we are organised,” said Geshev.
“The state authorities have to control things. Whether there are clusters of people, whether the rules are being broken. If that does not happen, our country and people’s health will suffer. The parties think too much about the political implications. They have not adjusted to the fact that we are in crisis. I call on the government and Parliament to be accountable to the citizens and to respond,” he said.
For the rest of The Sofia Globe’s continuing coverage of the Covid-19 situation in Bulgaria, please click here.
(Photo: Kai Kuusik Greenbaum)
