Covid-19: Bulgaria’s Health Minister’s new rules for visits to outdoor restaurants, bars and coffee shops
Bulgaria’s Health Minister Kiril Ananiev issued on May 3 an order allowing people to visit outdoor gardens and terraces of restaurants, fast food places, bars and coffee shops, subject to a number of anti-epidemic measures, the ministry said.
Tables must be arranged to be no less than 2.5 metres from each other and there may be no more than four people, or one family, per table.
Staff must wear protective face masks.
After each set of clients leaves a table, it and the chairs must be cleaned and disinfected.
Disinfectant dispensers must be prominently placed for use by visitors to the establishment.
Ananiev’s order requires the head of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency, by May 5 and in co-ordination with the Health Minister to “determine other requirements and organisation of work of these places”.
The order also covers driving lessons, roadworthiness test centres, seafarer training centres, civil aviation training centres and rail transport vocational training centres.
Physical distancing must be observed, along with all other anti-epidemic measures, including wearing of face masks and disinfection of vehicles and equipment used.
Ananiev’s order allows individual outdoor sports “including tennis, cycling, athletics, golf, etc” while maintaining a distance of at least 2.5 metres between the individual sports people.
Visits to swimming pools are allowed, while the temperatures of visitors must be measured on arrival and people with fever should not be admitted, the order says.
People in queues waiting to enter must stand 2.5 metres apart. The order specifies the concentration of chlorine in the water that should result for treatment and disinfection of the pool.
At the swimming pools, the toilets, changing rooms, refuse containers, common areas, appliances and other facilities must be cleaned and disinfected at least every hour.
Disinfectant dispensers, liquid soap and disposable towels for use by visitors must be provided.
Staff at swimming pools must use face masks and gloves.
Umbrellas, sun beds, chairs, garderobes and other equipment used must be disinfected after every visitor leaves.
Arrangements must be made to prevent people crowding in common areas such as changing rooms and toilets.
The distance between two sun umbrellas in the open area around the pools must be at least four metres, and when one umbrella is used by more than two members of one family, at least eight metres, and one umbrella may not be used by more than two people or family members.
Water attractions, including those for children, must not operate, Ananiev’s order said.
(Archive photo, of a seaside restaurant in Varna: Clive Leviev-Sawyer)
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