New record rise in confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Bulgaria

The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Bulgaria has increased by a new single-day record, 69 in the past 24 hours, according to figures released by the operational headquarters on May 6.

This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 1758, counting in deaths and those who have recovered.

To date, there have been 82 deaths – four more in the past 24 hours – while the number of patients who have recovered in that time has risen from 342 to 360.

The number of active cases has risen from 1269 to 1316, an increase of 47.

A total of 316 people are in hospital, 39 of them in intensive care.

The number of medical personnel who have tested positive has increased from 182 to 191.

On May 6, restrictions on intercity travel ended. The Interior Ministry said that during the time the restrictions had been imposed, more than 230 000 people had been turned back at checkpoints.

So far, a total of 62 940 declarations of reasons for intercity travel had been checked. Of those who said they were travelling for work reasons, 3750 did not have employment contracts and 528 were registered as unemployed.

There had been 22 cases of gross violations of the intercity travel restrictions, such as motorists who attempted to drive through the checkpoints without stopping and, in Gabrovo, a motorcyclist who kicked a police officer as he rode past without stopping. All the offenders had been identified and pre-trial proceedings against them had been started, the Interior Ministry said.

A total of 21 215 fines had been imposed, of which 16 305 were for failing to comply with the order to wear a mask or other protective facial covering, while that order – rescinded on May 1 – was still in effect.

More than 107 466 people had been quarantined, and about 20 000 were still in quarantine. A total of 1232 pre-trial proceedings had been initiated because of breaking quarantine.

The Interior Ministry said that since the start of the State of Emergency on March 13, the number of reported crimes including theft, robbery, housebreaking and car thefts was down by about 25 per cent.

A total of 36 Interior Ministry employees had tested positive for Covid-19. Of that number, 28 had recovered.

Speaking on May 6, Prime Minister Boiko Borissov said that anyone coming from abroad could be carrying the virus. “How could tourism start in such a situation? Imagine a hotel, someone comes from the Netherlands, the whole hotel ends up closed.”

The situation was far from over, he said.

With the withdrawal of the intercity travel restrictions, the police who had been on duty at checkpoints would be used to guard nursing homes, Borissov said, underlining the danger of infection there.

They would also be deployed where there was a lot of crowding in Roma neighbourhoods, Borissov said.

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